When Sean McCafferty took over the job as New York Red Bulls Academy Director in 2019, he knew that he wasn’t stepping into a job that required substantial overhaul.

“We have a clear philosophy against the ball and a clear philosophy with the ball,” McCafferty told reporters in a conference call last week. “It’s unique and I’m not coming here to make any major changes, I wouldn't be naive or arrogant to think that way, but I think at the academy level, we can be a bit more flexible in what we try to adapt to the players we work with. The beauty of being at the Red Bulls, it’s not academy, first team, second team, it’s everybody.”

McCafferty joined after a successful stint running Barca Academy based out of Casa Grande Academy Sports Complex in Arizona.

Moving to be a part of the Red Bulls global soccer empire within MLS didn’t mark a substantial transition for McCafferty, who had previously lived in the Northeast for 15 years. But even stepping into an organization with an emphasis on playing high-pressing, up tempo soccer, he searched for small tweaks he could help to improve the way the academy was run.

“When I first came in, I thought maybe rosters were too big, not enough talent, too many players that were taking minutes from some of the top players,” he said. “We really kind of helped these players find homes where they could play minutes, which is essential and ultimately that allowed our top players to play more and obviously accelerate their development.

“I was excited to get in, build some really positive relationships with the surrounding clubs as well which has really helped with recruitment and bringing top talent in. But I’ve been nothing but pleased, happy with the progress all the staff has made in evolving the philosophy and how we want to do things at the academy level.”

There were plenty of encouraging signs during the 2019-20 season, even looking from just a results perspective.

Before the Development Academy halted – and eventually shut down – the Under-17s posted a record of 7-5-3 in DA league and cup games. The Under-15s were even better at a 10-1-1 mark in all DA action. While the Under-19s would push players up to the USL side, they sat with 7-5-2 record before the DA halted.

The U15s had won its Generation adidas Cup qualifying group, posting a 5-0-2 record in the two weekends of competition. The U17 side finished second in Group C of GA Cup qualifying, and would’ve competed in Division 1 of the Finals had it taken place at the start of April.

"I think everybody’s disappointed the season was cut short," McCafferty said. "The spring we were hitting a nice little rhythm coming off the back of the [Generation adidas] Cup with the 15s and 17s doing so well, which was a really good indicator that not only was the improvements being made in the style of play and what we’re looking to accomplish, but winning’s a part of development and it’s a byproduct of development, but it was good to see we were hitting a nice little bit of a rhythm there."

For McCafferty, a big part of overseeing the academy is finding the balance between fostering player development within the context of maintaining the organization’s style of play. That meant trying to figure out ways to improve the academy’s ability with the ball -- something that lined up well with the methodologies emphasized at his previous spot.

“We will never go away from our style of play but you can always make little improvements and I think we’ve done that with the ball,” he said. “Again, it’s just a real good sign of the growth that we’ve made.”

A self-confessed Liverpool fan, he held up the English Premier League club as a standard bearer for what he hopes his Red Bulls Academy sides can emulate when it comes to marrying a high-pressing system and comfort with possession.

“I think they’re a club that’s managed to have the best of both worlds, in my opinion,” McCafferty said. “If you look at how they play, they can play any style at any time, whatever makes sense. Their work rate and their against the ball and their togetherness, is something I know [first team head coach] Chris [Armas] preaches, all of our staff. I don’t think there’s anything more important than that. You can complicate it as much as you want, but just the willingness to work hard, to be together, that selflessness, that’s massive for us.”

That progression came to a screeching halt earlier this year, as Covid-19 shuttered nearly all soccer around the globe.

Even so, there were other positive signs aside from just on-field results. John Tokin signed a first team contract with the academy before preseason – the ultimate purpose of the academy. McCafferty noted that several other academy players would have been pushed up into training at higher levels under normal circumstances.

“We have so much talent here, it’s just getting the environment where you can accelerate that,” he said. “Again, we’re so fortunate with our facility, the first team, second team, everybody’s there. There’s been multiple academy players training with the second team, and no doubt in my mind would’ve been in some first team training sessions had we continued. We’re very, very lucky in that regard.”

Even without congregating together in their usual environment, the Red Bulls’ collective philosophy has been on full display without in-person contact. U.S. national team midfielder Tyler Adams, who plays at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, has joined Zoom calls with academy players. Current first team midfielder Sean Davis has as well.

“These are probably things that maybe wouldn’t happen [under normal circumstances], but moving forward these things are so invaluable, to hear their experiences and get some insight into these guys,” McCafferty said.

The goalkeepers, from the first team down through the Under-12 side, are all on the same call to share insights about the position. Strength and conditioning coaches have put academy players through live training, looking to help players stay sharp whenever play resumes.

And the Red Bulls Academy will be ready to pick up where they left off, whenever it’s safe to play again.

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