The New York Red Bulls are set to announce their man this week to lead what is arguably the best academy in MLS, an important move as they face increased competition both locally and globally for one of the deepest talent pools in the world.
David Longwell will be named director of the New York Red Bulls Academy multiple league sources tell Metro New York, a lateral move for a man who is respected in his native Scotland for youth development. The signing, expected to be made official sometime this week, sees Longwell come north from Orlando City after 18 months with the franchise.
Last February, Longwell was named Academy Director for Orlando, leaving St. Mirren in Scotland after 15 years with the club. There he earned a solid reputation for developing several first team players from the academy set-up.
He joins a Red Bulls Academy often hailed as among the best in MLS. The system has produced several current first-team players such as Tyler Adams, Sean Davis, Connor Lade, Dan Metzger and Arun Basuljevic among others. Several other Academy products are making an impact with New York Red Bulls II in the USL.
In addition, from the Academy have sprung the likes of Matt Miazga, sold last year to Chelsea after several seasons with the Red Bulls.
