As the 2023 season wrapped with the elimination of the Red Bulls at the hand of FC Cincinnati, there were bound to make some roster changes. One of them was the mutual parting of Hassan Ndam which when the stats and the metrics are considered it made sense. There were many players at that position both at the Senior level as well as in the reserve squad, but one in particular didn't make sense.
This being the departure of Omir Fernandez, a local NYC product. He has been at the club since he was a teenager/kid. Then he went to college at Wake Forrest and then returned to the club. He also represented the US in the under 15 level to the under 23 level. The main reason why this was a surprising cut was because he was the leading goal scorer for the team throughout the season. These stats include MLS games as well as Leagues Cup, US Open Cup and MLS Playoff Games.
Even more surprising is the fact that the club haven't announced a replacement for him. The two players that the Red Bulls have announced coming up from the academy are a center-back named Davi Alexandre and goalkeeper Aiden Stokes. Stokes is a fifteen year old dual national product of the United States and England while Alexandre is a sixteen year old dual national of Brazil and the United States.
Another move that is surprising is the trade involving Dru Yearwood. The Harlow-native has played in England for Brentford when the club was in the Championship and then moved to NYRB right before the team reached the Premier League for the first time in their history The deal was that Yearwood would move to Nashville in exchange for $75,000 in General Allocation Money in 2024 and if certain conditions are met it would trigger an option that would grant the Red Bulls up to $75,000 in GAM in 2025. Ironically it was Yearwood who clinched a spot for the Red Bulls in Decision Day match between the two clubs when they played in Nashville.