After struggling to break into the New York Red Bulls starting lineup in 2015, Gonzalo Veron stands poised to play a major role in 2016

Gonzalo Veron wound up in a place where New York Red Bulls fans aren't used to seeing their designated players start out their MLS careers.

The Argentine winger started his stint in America sitting on the bench, and stayed there throughout his first season with the Red Bulls. Though he did show glimpses in cameo appearances, Veron went into the offseason having failed to show just why the Red Bulls had invested in him.

Look for that to change in 2016.

The Argentine speedster joined a Red Bulls attack last year that wound up leading MLS in scoring, and with incumbent wingers Lloyd Sam and Mike Grella playing so well, Veron found himself limited to a sub's role. His lack of playing time led to questions about whether he would live up to the billing he arrived — questions his coach feels are unfair.

"I wouldn't put Gonzalo's inability to get into the lineup on Gonzalo," Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch told Goal USA. "I would put it more on the fact that we had an established lineup and an established group that was doing really well. If you looked at our record from the day that Gonzalo came to our team, it was really good.

"I knew that we were going to try, at some point, to build more tactical flexibility into what we were doing, but at the time it didn't make sense because that group of six attacking players on the field were really performing at a high level," Marsch said. "It meant that there wasn't much room for Gonzalo to break into the lineup too much."

That lack of playing time might have concerned some other players, but Veron insists he was OK with his role, and never wavered in his belief that leaving the Argentine league for MLS was the right move.

"Every player wants to play, but when the team is doing well you have to respect the decisions of the coach and accept that things are working well," Veron told Goal USA. "When you come to a new league there will be time you need to adapt and, for me, having a preseason now to work with the team, I feel much more comfortable and also happy about seeing a bigger role."

Veron's versatility has led to plenty of experimentation from Marsch, who is intent on finding a way to get the speedster onto the field.

"In this preseason, we've been able to focus a little bit more on ways to use Gonzalo from the start," Marsch said. "We've played him up high with Bradley a lot. We've played him with two strikers, played him with three. We've done a lot of different things to help Gonzalo assimilate and that's been a big emphasis of the preseason.

"He's been one of our best players. He's been very effective. He's been dangerous every game he plays in and now we've seen all of the qualities. He has come alive more often, and that's exciting."

Marsch's decision to focus on integrating Veron into a unit that was already the most productive in MLS might sound strange, but the Red Bulls coach believes Veron has the qualities to make the attack even more dangerous in 2016.

"It's his explosiveness and his desire to be on the move and be a threat to get behind and, when he does get in dangerous spots, moving at very high speeds," Marsch said when asked why the Red Bulls rate Veron so highly. "He's good at making a play that leads to a goal or scoring a goal himself. His explosiveness and his ease on the move, with how we play, is what attracted us the most."

Veron has spent the offseason not only working to take on a bigger role with the Red Bulls but also to make himself feel more at home. He has begun work on learning English, and he is developing more chemistry with his teammates as he logs heavy minutes in preseason.

Veron acknowledges it wasn't an easy transition to the U.S., and credits the support of the club, as well as conversations with fellow Argentines such as Portland Timbers winger Lucas Melano, with helping him through that process. Veron and Melano spent time together during the Red Bulls' road trip to Portland last season, and the two designated players discussed the similar challenges they faced — ranging from the fight for playing time to struggles with a new language and shopping for homes.

"It was good to be able to talk to people who are in the same situation as you and understand what you are going through," Veron said. "Adapting is something every player must go through in a new league and new country, and I knew it was something I had to go through."

He has come to enjoy his time living in the U.S., which he says is more peaceful than his existence as a professional in soccer-crazed Argentina. But that isn't to say Veron doesn't miss the passion of his home country.

"The passion of the people remind you why you wanted to be a soccer player, to have that affect on people and feel their love," Veron said. "I have seen the fans here show that same love and I want to feel that here too."