COLUMN: Patryk Klimala Ready to Make Impact at RBNY

It’s not been an ideal two weeks for your favorite soccer club. Serious injuries, red cards and suspensions showed up right as the Red Bulls faced off against two tough Eastern Conference opponents, in Philadelphia and New England. But as head coach Gerhard Struber said after the loss at Foxborough, “We have no time to cry.” You heard the boss, it’s time to pick ourselves up and figure out how things can turn for the better starting this Saturday at Red Bull Arena against Orlando City. Luckily there’s someone in the squad who’s desperate to make an impact - the Polish youth international, Patryk Klimala.

Despite Fábio’s league leading four assists, the Red Bulls need to get scoring from the striker position. New York is one of the only teams in the league that have yet to get a goal from one of their forwards. Klimala, the team’s newest signing from Scottish giants Celtic FC, is looking to change that quickly.

“I’m so happy to be here,” Klimala said in his opening comments after signing for RBNY. He went on, “I think this is a good team with beautiful goals in the future. I think you’ll be happy to have me.”

After watching his first two games in which he came on as a halftime substitute, we can see why we will be very happy to have him. In glimpses, he’s shown to be a very different striker than Fábio, with a style that can really compliment his Brazilian counterpart in a positive way. His movement in the box looked dangerous early on, and his ability to fight to find space to receive and control the ball has been refreshing to see. But for a club that has not had more than 11 goals scored by a striker since 2018, the Red Bulls need goal production from that spot, and even though Klimala’s talent showed through in Europe, his lack of playing time at Celtic left a lot of questions unanswered. So how can he be the striker that New York so desperately needed? It comes down to the Red Bull way.

“We sort of looked at the situation at Celtic where perhaps he didn’t get as many opportunities as he would have liked, and then looked at his performances when he did get the opportunity,” Red Bulls Head of Sport Kevin Thelwell spoke to The Athletic about Klimala shortly after the signing was complete. “And then just figure out whether it’s that he’s just not capable of making the mark, or do we still think he’s got the potential and is capable of making that next step with some confidence, with support, with game time? And of course, the answer was yes. Ultimately, it’s a test of faith for the Red Bull recruiting system.”

Coach Struber has also expressed admiration for his new forward. “At both the club and youth international level he has shown that he has high potential. He demonstrates a strong work ethic against the ball, which is very important to our style of play, and has very good instincts around the goal. His movement and ability in the final third give the team another weapon."

Even though it is a small sample size, we have already seen just how dangerous Klimala can be, particularly in his debut in Philadelphia, where he rose to fifth on the team in expected goals for the season, after just 45 minutes of action.

Clearly, the club’s tactics have also resonated with Patryk in his short time here. “I like the team style and coaching style. I like the style of Red Bull. I like that they play balls behind the line, and right to the striker,” said Klimala. The Young Designated Player is obviously a fan of the system in place, and he will hopefully make you a fan of his in the very near future.

“He sees (MLS) as an opportunity to be the main guy, to play regularly, score a lot of goals and help the team achieve our ambitions,” Thelwell told The Athletic. “He’s got the right mentality for the identity: very honest, very hard-working, young player. I’ve got absolutely no doubt he’s going to come with the right mindset and I’ve got no doubt he’s going to be a very good fit for us.”