Happy fun agressive soccer and much younger team with promise are all good points and save us from the F
Good points about New York Red Bulls: C-I bumped them up from an F following their big win over Miami, which is their second in three games and had the feel of a statement win, or maybe an "ok, we're through the worst of it" win.
Maybe. It was enough to buy them a letter grade-and-a-half boost based upon how strong a performance it was, and the fact that they are now comfortably above the playoff line. They really did seem to be playing happy and fun and aggressive soccer for the first time all year, and they just smashed Miami on the rocks of that press. It was a throwback performance from a team — and an interim head coach — who badly needed one.
This is also pretty clearly a team in the midst of a rebuild. Bad losses and dry spells are part of the deal, but if it ends up with a bunch of the kids rising to the moment and earning starting jobs to create a new foundation, the front office will likely deem the struggle to have been worth it.
What they could've done better: They apparently could have handled Bradley Wright-Phillips' departure better. It's genuinely sad that he left on bad terms.
As for on the field stuff, I said my piece about Chris Armas and why I understood the decision to let him go. Bradley Carnell hasn't addressed all those issues, but in general the team has looked more cohesive and energetic the past few games. He's also making the wise decision to play Brian White more, and to use Kaku as a No. 10. That helps.
I am skeptical of their DP signings, but am willing to be proved wrong. I understand the frustrations of the RBNY fanbase, but I think if you had offered them "7th place in the East and a much younger, potentially more exciting team" at the start of the year, most of them would've taken it.