An Ode to Tom Barlow
They say it’s always sunny in Philadelphia, but three hours into the 2018 MLS SuperDraft the arena looked gloomy. The club officials and players in attendance were silent, with the rotating emcees sounding almost bored when announcing the picks. All of the promising young talents like Tomas Hilliard-Arce and Jon Bakero had already been taken, their inevitable journeys to MLS stardom already begun. Compared to the jubilant cheers that erupted from the LAFC faithful in celebration of their first pick João Moutinho, a young forward out of Wisconsin picked thirty-ninth overall by the Red Bulls resulted in only scattered applause. No one saw much in the Missouri native, he wasn’t invited to the scouting combine before the draft or to the draft itself. He later commented on how he didn’t expect to be drafted at all, his agent’s call to inform him of the news brought relief as much as jubilation. So as fate would have it, Tom Barlow would end up making more MLS appearances than about half of the players selected above him.
Barlow had a dream high school career. In his junior year at Chaminade College Preparatory School (MI), he scored a remarkable 27 goals and 18 assists in 28 games. He led his school to a 25–3–1 record and the State Championship match, selected All-American, and was granted the similarly prestigious Gatorade Missouri High School Player Of The Year. Barlow was a big kid, a physical presence that dominated the youth scene. But looking at his highlights of yesteryear, one sees more than just a large target man. His movement is intelligent, always checking in, playing quick layoffs to his wingers. His finishing was already well developed, he scored with both feet and was comfortable with his back to goal. Playing club soccer for state powerhouse St. Louis Scott Gallagher, he kept busy before moving to a D1 college career at the University of Wisconsin. There, he became a solid contributor, developing into a mainstay in a squad that won the Big 10 championship his senior year. Scoring 23 goals and getting 15 assists in 78 matches, his above-average career seemed set for a bright future. But translating college success to professional success is not easy, and many promising careers fail at this step.
The SuperDraft is a hit-and-miss affair. The league and players know this, and this has perhaps led to the decline of its reputation. Despite still being a way to get the top college prospects in the country, the general perception is that the top college prospects just aren’t that good. Following the rise of the European academy model in the United States, MLS sides have transitioned towards investing in their own academies to develop their prospects and have them ready for first-team action quicker. With the rise of system-based organizations like the Philadelphia Union or the Red Bulls themselves, clubs find it easier to train players with the skills necessary to succeed at the first-team level, guiding their development from middle school through what would be college years. Giving the people in charge more control over player development has led to a burst in young American talent coming out of the league. But, it’s come at the cost of the States’ traditional college to professional pipeline. The Daryl Dikes of the world still come every once in a while, but it’s not a trusted system anymore. Many teams even choose to forfeit their picks after the first round, believing that there’s no talent worth finding.The Red Bulls, by contrast, have historically taken the draft very seriously. On draft day sporting director Denis Hamlett spoke about the extensive college scouting network the organization employs. Then head coach Jesse Marsch, being a Wisconsin native, had watched some of the university’s games. His coaches had only praise for the team’s star striker, so the Red Bulls took a chance on Barlow and signed him to the USL team. And thus the story began.
It was the end of May, exactly halfway through the 2018 USL season. A warm afternoon at Red Bull Arena, the second squad was winning comfortably against Indy Eleven. 3–1 up in the 85th minute, longtime coach John Wolyniec decided to throw the recent draft pick into the fray. Deep into stoppage time, Barlow picked up the ball on the edge of the area and let loose a vicious, curling shot. It whipped, it dipped, and it hit the crossbar. Future first-teamer Christian Casseres collected the rebound and controlled it, waiting for the perfect moment before playing a square ball back to Barlow, who had continued his run across the box. Any normal, sane man would likely be more conservative with the ball after hitting the bar seconds prior, taking a touch, perhaps playing a first time pass if feeling adventurous. But the Missourian was having nothing to do with normalcy, cleanly striking Casseres’ ball straight into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. He held out his arms in triumph, jumping into a perhaps relieved embrace with Hassan Ndam.
Barlow earned consistent minutes in the team after the Indy Eleven game, scoring six more times that year, adding 2 more in a playoff run.. Time and time again he showed precocious finishing ability and blistering pace, his opponents finding no way to stop him. Barlow was a force in USL, a mainstay in a Red Bulls II side that at the time was one of the better teams in its league.
Perhaps the most impressive of his performances of his half-season was a hattrick in a 4–4 thriller against the Charleston Battery. It was the 60th minute, and New York were down 3–0 but up a man after Brian Anunga was sent to the locker room for a high kick. While the referee sorted out the sending off, Wolyniec brought Barlow in for Anatole Abang. After tempers cooled and the players on the field were sorted, goalkeeper Evan Louro restarted play with a strong free kick into the box from his own half, a scramble ensued and play was again stopped. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, he’d spotted a handball in the melee. More argument and organized chaos ensued, but Barlow was having none of it, already with the ball in his hands, walking commandingly as he took it to the penalty spot. His eyes, partially obscured by the face mask he had to don for the day, pointed downward in focus. A brief delay for further argument, and finally the whistle blew again. A short run-up, and Barlow slotted it bottom left. Shortly after a Jose Aguinaga goal and a glancing header from Barlow drew the game to 3–3, but Charleston seemed to put the game to bed with a goal from Patrick Okonkwo. At last the game seemed to be settled, but Barlow had other plans. Red Bulls center-back Wahab Ackwei picked up the ball about 35 yards from goal, and clipped an aimless ball into the area. It was a stoppage-time desperation pass, launched without a target in mind or underlying plan. Passes like those fall to whoever wants it the most, and Barlow wanted it the most. He rose the highest, sent a looping header nearly from the edge of the 18-yard line. It flew over the goalkeeper, bouncing once again into the bottom left corner. Barlow pointed to his head in celebration, returned to the center circle to restart quickly. The game finished 4–4, but Barlow’s comeback-earning hat trick was one of the highs of the team’s season.
His 2019 campaign was even better, scoring 11 times in 15 games. Confidence oozed from his play, he found the top corner almost effortlessly and simply outran all of his opponents. He scored with his right, he scored with his left, he scored with his head. He slipped into pockets of space and was consistently found, leaving him with one-on-one opportunities that he finished calmly. Halfway through the USL season, the front office decided he was ready. On May 8, 2019, Barlow penned a deal with the first team, and it looked like everything was falling into place.
The TV cameras never quite drive home just how big arenas are. My 14 year old self felt so minuscule taking it all in, the thousands-strong crowd dizzying my preteen brain. The 2019 matchup against Atlanta United would be my first ever Red Bull game in person, and as a new supporter of the team I was excited to see the players that I had been learning about for about a year. My father, more relieved to be out of work than excited to be at the game, guided me to the nosebleeds as I admired the view. Section 231 was decently far from the action, but I enjoyed the occasion more than anything. The three-quarter filled stadium was intense, hot, almost scary. When the crowd shouted the “rocket’s RED glare” during the national anthem I was amazed, when the fans shouted “SUCKS” after every Atlanta player’s name was read I was amused. The man seated next to me sat with his young daughter, shouting expletives that I hope his daughter didn’t hear throughout the game.
The game itself was less enthralling, Tim Parker was sent off for the Red Bulls midway through the first half and I was already starting to think that the day would turn sour. The game was nervous from then on, the curse-stringed rants by my neighbor growing more frequent. It was the 55th minute when Barlow came on, I was so nervous I didn’t even notice the substitution. Atlanta were peppering the New York goal, I thought it was a matter of time before they broke the deadlock. But not ten minutes after Barlow came on, Sean Nealis went on a slaloming run through the midfield, and found Danny Royer on the right wing. One touch, and Royer curled a beautiful cross right onto Barlow’s head. I stood up, Barlow nodded it across the face of goal. It seemed like the ball was taking forever, both Brad Guzan and I thought it was going wide. The Atlanta keeper stumbled and stepped, reaching for the ball, but he couldn’t quite get it. It nestled almost peacefully into the bottom right corner, and Barlow took off to the corner flag, banging his chest to the crowd in celebration. My father, the crowd, and I went ballistic, the energy in Harrison helping the team close out the eventual 1–0 victory.
It wasn’t for years that I learned that the occasion happened to be Barlow’s first MLS goal, but I was already obsessed with him, and the Red Bulls by extension.
Barlow split time between RBII and the first team for the rest of 2019, periodically making small substitute appearances in the MLS and racking up goals in USL when left out of the squad. Upon the departure of club legend and longtime starting striker Bradley-Wright Phillips in 2020, Barlow split time with Brian White for the starting job for the first team under Chris Armas. The pair struggled in a season considered a step down for a New York side finding its feet under Chris Armas and later Bradley Carnell. Barlow quickly became the focus of the fanbase’s frustrations, his seemingly clumsy style of play and lack of impact offensively led many to call for White to be given more consistent opportunities. Perhaps forgetful of the ability he had shown prior, perhaps not aware of it, looking online one could see the anger fans had about Barlow, crying for his departure and lamenting his continued appearances.
Some of these complaints were admittedly merited, Barlow did not have a great second year. He was a disaster technically, averaging rock-bottom passing numbers among fellow MLS strikers. He rarely dribbled, and was below average in touches per game. All of these things can be forgiven in a striker if he scores, but Barlow wasn’t passing the eye test either. He averaged about 3.5 shots per game and 1.6 on target in that season, but only scored three times in the entire year, with a two-goal game against Montreal providing a padding to his numbers. Perhaps surprisingly, his average xG of .62 across the year was among the highest in the league. And yet despite receiving constant high-quality opportunities, Barlow simply could not find the net. The team was not playing well, although comfortably in the playoffs at the time fans were growing frustrated after another year of being completely out of the title race.
One of Barlow’s most infuriating moments of the year came at the tail end of the season. New York had taken an early lead through Kyle Duncan, but after a rally from their Chicagoan opponents the Red Bulls were 2–1 down in the 90th minute. The team was throwing everything they had to try and earn what should have been a comfortable win. Brian White was substituted on for midfielder Sean Davis so he could play along starter Tom Barlow, evidently Carnell was desperate to equalize. A shot by fellow substitute Marc Rzatkowski looped over the Chicago backline and fell to Brian White. His snap header was saved by goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, and by some miracle fell to Barlow. Barlow faced an open net, but he miscontrolled the ball with his thigh and had to scramble to retrieve the ball again. The eventual shot was blocked, and the chance looked over, but somehow White found his way to the ball again and buried the rebound. Ecstasy ensued after the equalizer, but Barlow’s error was not forgotten. Looking at the remarks made online after the result, one could find more criticisms of Barlow than comments on the result. It was a bad miss, and the team was fortunate that White cleaned up the mess, but the growing dislike the fanbase had for Barlow could be clearly seen.
2021 and 2022 were not particularly better for the Missourian, with Patryk Klimala coming in as a Designated Player, and Elias Manoel and Fabio later stopping by, Barlow found playing time harder to come by than his rookie year. Reduced to a role as a late substitute as Gerhard Struber tried to close out games, Barlow didn’t even have enough time on the pitch to miss any chances. But nonetheless the goals were not coming, and the fan resentment for poor Barlow only worsened. The departure of the seemingly more impactful Brian White did not help his case, and it got to the point that Barlow was being blamed for losses that he barely played in. Any dropped points resulted in some variation of “Sell Barlow” populating social media comments, at times in games where he didn’t even appear. Barlow was the epitome of what fans perceived to be the organization’s biggest problem: roster quality. How could the Red Bulls, people asked, compete with teams like LAFC or Toronto when their starters had Champions League and European Championship titles, and the Red Bulls relied on the former Gatorade Missouri High School Player Of The Year? It got to the point that longtime Red Bulls commentators Shep Messing and Steve Cangliosi found the need to defend Barlow every time he came on, taking any excuse to extol Barlow’s virtues “despite not being a fan favorite.” Barlow was much less than a fan favorite, within a year of his exhilarating start, he’d become the team’s sacrificial lamb, the scapegoat for every problem.
At the MLS level, no one will try to defend Barlow’s attacking productivity. He’s lacked a clinical edge in seasons past, and although the ability is certainly there he’s lacked something, whether it be confidence or opportunity. Pundits have pointed out that Barlow is an extremely capable defender, even from his position up top. The Red Bulls are famous for their press, Hamlett had the system in mind when he drafted Barlow, and Barlow’s certainly benefited from the playing style of the team. His athleticism enables him to run at nearly full speed for the entire game, hunting down opposing center-backs, chasing down every last ball. Even in his oft-maligned 2020 season, he was extremely effective in the things he does well. Compared to other MLS forwards, Barlow was at the high end of the spectrum in both pressures and successful pressures, finishing the year in the 92nd and 97th percentiles in the respective statistics. Barlow won an average of 3.14 aerial battles per game, again placing him in the top tier of MLS forwards. 2021 was an even better year for him as Struber recognized his unique abilities. Barlow finished in the 98th and 99th percentiles in pressures and successful pressures, and in the 99th percentile of aerial battles won. There was a reason Struber kept bringing him on late in games, Barlow effectively closed down players and forced mistakes even late in games, and was able to win crucial headers off of goal kicks and defending free kicks.
Barlow has a very specific skill set, and it’s not a crowd-pleaser. He is among the best in the league in what he does, no one presses as much or as well as he does. His defensive impact is important for the way the Red Bulls play, and is what keeps him in the team season after season.
Looking past his missed opportunities, one can see a shadow of the player that was the scourge of the USL. Barlow is fast, physical, tall and aerially adept. He’s always been a great finisher since his second division days, he just hasn’t shown it at a higher level. His hypothetical peak is a scary sight for center-backs, a forward who can body you and blow by you in the same game, a forward that can receive a ball in space or create his own, and someone who can create problems on seemingly routine headers. Barlow has all the tools necessary to be a great offensive player as well as a defensive one, but for some reason just hasn’t found his way yet. Barlow is 27 years old, an age where he hypothetically should be in his prime, although players like Jamie Vardy have blossomed at an older age. His entering the league at age 24 was not great for his development, the nature of the college system in the US means players that take that route have less time to acclimate to the professional level before reaching their “peak” years. It’s hard to think “potential” when thinking of Barlow, but with extreme levels of patience and a little naivety it’s an accurate descriptor.
Player analysis is difficult in a generation that despite the rapidly changing roles of positions, and the increasing irrelevance of the concept of the “position”, still falls into the trap of analyzing players based on stereotypes and misused statistics. Strikers are typically seen as goalscorers, and fans want to see their starting number 9 feast on every opportunity, scoring fifteen goals per season and being ruthless and clinical. Strikers are entertainers, stars, elevated to greatness quite easily but judged harshly. With the Designated Player system making the concept of the “star player” more tangible, Major League Soccer has often struggled to escape this more individualistic view of the sport. Soccer is not like basketball or American football, despite its complicated relationship with talent it is still quite clear that a cohesive team is what it takes to reach the highest echelon of the sport. And yet some will still revert to the cruder idea that a regular, fifteen goal a year striker can magically transform a team into a title contender. Because of this Barlow is never going to be liked, he’s simply not going to be topping the scoring charts anytime soon. Scoring fifteen goals in a season wouldn’t hurt, but to ignore the abilities he does possess and instead focus on the first three columns on his stat sheet is to see the sport in a very narrow lens.
But maybe it’s not that deep. What’s most endearing about Barlow personally certainly isn’t his statistics, and it isn’t even his possible representation of deeper issues in the way we view sport. It’s his character, the way that he continues fighting and continues pushing even in the face of so much hate. Barlow can hear the subtle groans of the crowd when he comes on, no staff member can prevent him from seeing all of the hate online. Barlow cuts a downtrodden figure at times, his head down and showing obvious signs of discouragement. One can clearly see the confidence declining with every missed opportunity, the raising of his hands in exasperation make an accurate meter. But he keeps running, keeps pushing for his team. Even after so many missed chances he’s always looking for the next one, always searching for a breakthrough.
Barlow’s lone goal of 2021 came in another game against Chicago. The side was 2–0 down in the 97th minute, it had been a miserable afternoon and a horrible performance overall. Barlow had come on 21 minutes prior, and when Bobby Shuttleworth saved a late freekick it vaguely mirrored that 2020 miss. The ball was loose, there was no hope in the game for the Red Bulls and no one would blame them for not caring about retrieving the rebound. But Tom Barlow ran at full speed nonetheless, got to the ball first and smashed into an empty net for what was ultimately a meaningless goal.
A cynic would write it off as professionalism, but that drive and determination, even in defeat, is what makes Barlow so remarkable. By now Barlow surely knows what the fanbase thinks of him, and yet he continues trying his hardest to play his best. To love Tom Barlow is to appreciate a perhaps purer version of the sport. Unbothered by individual accolades, advanced metrics, or legacy. To love Tom Barlow is to watch a man who grew up loving a sport, and now gets paid to play the sport he loves, content with his place in the world. To love Tom Barlow is to value the handyman, the man who comes in on time, does what he’s asked to do, and finds contentment in this. Maybe Barlow never scores again, maybe he never returns to his spectacular USL best. Maybe he gets traded a week after this piece is published, rendering this zealous love letter useless. But no matter what form he’s in, no matter the result, no matter what minute it is, one thing is certain. Barlow will be running.
