I became a die-hard New York Red Bulls fan in 2009, when I first started following MLS. I remember like it was yesterday when it was announced Thierry Henry signed a 4-and-a-half year deal with the team. Hot damn, world class talent at last. Unfortunately, we all knew the day would come when he would no longer suit up for the Eastern Conference semifinalists. But we didn’t know that it would come with the firing of our beloved Mike Petke.

Like many of my fellow Red Bull supporters, I am emotionally at-odds with the top brass for their handling of letting go of Coach Petke.

But fear not, my fellow Metros! There are three good reasons why despite these changes the Red Bulls’ 2015 Season will be successful.

The first, Jesse Marsch. The man who will replace Petke is no slouch. He coached the Impact in their 2012 expansion season to the best finish by an expansion team, ever, with a far less talented squad than the one we possess today. He also was Bob Bradley’s assistant coach in South Africa. Although the wound is still fresh, Marsch is a very tactically sound coach who will do more than fill Petke’s shoes, at least in the management and tactical aspect of coaching. The 2015 Season will be his first at the helm for New York, but it certainly won’t be the last.

The second, Bradley Wright-Phillips. While there is concern (understandably so) that his goal-scoring frequency will experience a decline without Titi providing the assists, let’s take a close look at why the decline will be smaller than anticipated. His movement in the box became much better as the season progresses. His hold-up game also contributed greatly to the team’s success late on down the stretch. A clear example of his ability to thrive without Henry would be his hat-trick against Seattle back in September. All 3 goals (one a PK), came without a Henry-BWP combination. I predict more than 20 league goals for the Englishman by the end of the 2015 Season.

The third, our central midfield players. Soccer matches are won and lost in the midfield. With that said, not only do we still have Dax McCarty, but we now have Sean Davis, Leo Stolz, and as of two days ago, US international Sacha Kljestan. It is arguable that Davis and Stolz were the best and most-MLS ready midfielders in this past collegiate season. Say what you will about Ali Curtis, but he acquired both of them.

Kljestan has a similar game as former midfielder Eric Alexander. The former Chivas USA man, however, played at a higher level than Alexander at Anderlecht, and arrives with UEFA Champions League experience. He is clearly an upgrade as a potential midfield partner for Dax.

Yes, our defense remains thin, and there are reasonable concerns about recent acquisition Felipe Martins’ consistency. But I truly believe that this season, the Red Bulls are in good position to begin the season on a high note, and have a successful 2015 season.