Ben Cork

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports It’s January, so you know what to expect. Gray skies, crowded gyms, and MLS preseasons being mildly disrupted by international call-ups. The New York Red Bulls have emerged as one of the bigger honorees/victims in the national team squad lists being released this week. After news earlier this week that injury-plagued youngster Wikelman Carmona would be joining up with the Venezuela under-20s, the Red Bulls saw more players recognized at senior level on Wednesday.

Photo by Jeroen Meuwsen/BSR Agency/Getty Images The big rumor of the winter transfer window has hit airwaves and wifi routers. As confirmed stateside by Tom Bogert on Monday afternoon, the New York Red Bulls are pursuing Dante Vanzeir of Union Saint-Gilloise. The Belgium international forward (one cap) has scored 42 league goals across the domestic first and second divisions over the last three years, and may take some jingle-jangling to pry loose.

Photo by Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images In an outcome that was fairly predictable to anybody who had been following the story, Aaron Long officially left the New York Red Bulls on Tuesday to sign a free agent deal with Los Angeles FC. Once A Metro chief editor Ben Cork is offering up a couple or three things to think about as he examines Long’s legacy in New York and what his departure means for the club moving forward.