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In what could only be described as a covert Friday night news drop (for all three people looking for it), the PDL updated New York Red Bulls U23's roster as the first team played Orlando. Conniving and sneaky. Or, much more realistically it got added in a mass website update. I like my first theory though.
In all, nine players were added to the NYRB U23 roster, bringing the total up to 22. A few more additions are likely, but these 22 guys should make up the bulk of the team. The new additions are:
| Name | Year | Position | College Team | Homegrown Eligible |
| Marcello Borges | Freshman | Defender | Michigan | Yes |
| Thomas De Villardi De Montlaur | Junior | Midfielder | Delaware | No |
| Steven Echevarria | Sophomore | Midfielder | Wake Forest | Yes |
| Chris Flores | Freshman | Midfielder | Northeastern | Yes |
| Antoine Le Gall | Junior | Midfielder | St. John's | No |
| Andrew Lopez | Freshman | Midfielder | UNC | No |
| Thibault Philippe | Sophomore | Defender | Delaware | No |
| Alex Tejera | Sophomore | Striker | Siena | Yes |
| Rhys Williams | Junior | Midfielder | Columbia | No |
With 22 players now on the roster, NYRB U23 looks to be taking shape. With a reasonable roster in hand, it's now time to note on who's not here.
Notable Omissions:
Billy Stevens, Evan Louro, and Ethan Decker: As previously noted, these players will be playing for other PDL/NSPL teams this summer. Louro's a loss as the academy's #1 goalkeeper in college, and Stevens is playing solid, if not necessarily remarkable, defense alongside him at Michigan. Decker, however, saw a transfer to Louisville fall flat as he scored only one goal and started only five games in his junior year.
Adam Najem: What is Adam Najem up to at this point? Well, even his former teammates don't know. He appeared to leave college in the winter to find a club in Europe, but that looks to have failed and now it appears that he is trying to play his senior year at Akron. As one of the top midfielders in college soccer, it would be a big loss for the Red Bulls to lose Najem, especially if it's to another MLS team.
Erik Sa: The Rutgers midfielder isn't the most exciting player in college soccer, but he's a competent midfielder and a workhorse. For a player who could certainly land on NYRBII in the near future, it's interesting to see his name absent on a team heavily lacking veteran leadership.
Kevin Politz: New York's top academy centerback in college, Politz has become an integral part of Wake Forest's defense as the Demon Deacon's went on the become the top-ranked team in college soccer. Unfortunately, an injury requiring surgery to his knee took him out of action in October, and he only returned to practicing last month. While Politz will be missed, it is completely possible his omission is injury/health related and isn't a shift in the organization's opinion of the young centerback.