Major League Soccer has continued to provide homegrown players with early opportunities to grow into key professionals and New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman certainly made the most of his chances in 2023.

Edelman recently concluded his second full season with the Red Bulls, taking a key step forward in his development. The 20-year-old doubled his playing time in 2023, logging 2,035 minutes under both Gerhard Struber and Troy Lesesne.

After making his senior debut in 2022 under Struber, Edelman made 24 starts this past season at the No. 6 position, showing his growth each and every week.

“I took my opportunity in 2022 and I am really happy with how this past season went for me,” Edelman told SBI. “My first year was about learning the Red Bulls philosophy and our style of play as a team. This year it kinda got off to a rocky start because I was hurt and in-and-out of the lineup, but I think I grew from it and learned from it.

“I think learning more about my position and my role in midfield certainly helped me. I wanted to help the guys and help the team and I believe I did that. As the year went on, we as a team were able to get so many good results. I am glad I was able to help with that.”

Edelman is one of six current homegrown players in the Red Bulls squad, joining talented left back John Tolkin and fellow midfielder Peter Stroud. Whether it was Struber or Lesesne on the sidelines, young players like Edelman were given the platform to help the team succeed.

Becoming a first team starter has been a dream come true for the Warren, New Jersey native, something that Edelman had hoped for since his younger days in the academy.

“I remember watching the team during the days of Bradley Wright-Phillips and Thierry Henry, players that helped put and keep the Red Bulls on the radar in MLS,” Edelman said. “As a young player, I always wanted to play for the hometown team and now it’s been about trying to win trophies and get us back to the glory days of the past.

“The huge goal for us in 2024 is how can we take this team and build off of an eighth place finish,” Edelman added. “We want to be closer to the top four and play for trophies, that is the goal for a lot of players in the squad. As for me, I want to become one of the best No. 6’s in the league, so I’m going to do whatever I can to achieve that and help my team.”

The Red Bulls finished eighth in the Eastern Conference, eliminating Charlotte FC from the Wild Card Round before suffering elimination at the hands of Supporters’ Shield winners, FC Cincinnati. Despite the lack of lifting silverware, 2023 marked a positive season for Edelman, Tolkin and several of the other young players in the squad.

Following Troy Lesesne’s departure as head coach this offseason, the Red Bulls remain without a manager heading into next season. Edelman has already played for two different coaches in his MLS career and hopes the next head coach can stick to the club’s principles and philosophies.

“We have definitely taken big strides as a club and I really enjoy the culture that we have here,” Edelman said. “I think the next head coach needs to look at the Red Bulls principles and try and continue what has been built in previous years. I think at the end of last season, we were playing with more control and more possession. That is something I hope we can continue doing in 2024.”

In addition to growing at club level, Edelman also played a leading role with the U.S. Under-20 men’s national team. Edelman helped Mikey Varas’ squad qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, captaining the squad in three of his five appearances in Argentina.

Alongside several other MLS talents such as Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan, and Diego Luna, Edelman and the Americans rolled to four-consecutive shutout victories in the tournament before suffering a 2-0 quarterfinal loss to eventual champions, Uruguay. Edelman’s U-20’s cycle concluded on a sad note, but overall he remained pleased for what he and the team accomplished together.

“When I started with the U-20’s in 2021, I felt that I was outside of the bubble, but I was able to work my way in and become captain, that was special to me,” Edelman said. “It was such a privilege after helping the team qualify for the World Cup and then get to the quarterfinals. It was something that I will never forget, coming from the outside and then two years later playing in a World Cup with these guys.

“We have so much depth in this pool of players and now the goal is to try and get into the Olympic Team,” Edelman added. “So many of these players like Diego, Jack, Mauricio [Cuevas], Brandan [Craig] are good players and we had a lot in common together. I am excited to see what a lot of them will do into the future.”

Edelman’s offseason break will continue for a few more weeks, then the early preparation for the 2024 Red Bulls season begins. He will head into this third season as a professional, doing everything he can to help the team propel even higher and also grow his game as a defensive midfielder.

Getting to Europe remains a high priority on Edelman’s to-do list, but improving with the Red Bulls comes first and he knows it.

“I think every kid that wants to grow up playing pro soccer has aspirations to get to Europe and that’s definitely a goal of mine,” Edelman said. “I am relaxing right now, but I know the hard work will start again in trying to help our team win. I am going to do anything I can to get regarded as one of the best No. 6’s. If I can do that, then I think Europe will happen down the road.”