New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz heads into rivalry week with his club battling their two biggest foes, first in our nation’s capital against DC United and then on Saturday against NYCFC at Citi Field. While he has yet to partake in the high-tension drama of these fixtures, his experience in Germany has made him keenly aware of just how important these games are.
“I heard a lot about this,” said Schwarz on Monday to the media. “We mentioned that in Germany, I know how important that game (DC) and the next game as well on Saturday, we are looking forward to these two games. The first step is the away game in Washington DC. It is a very good team, good quality and so this is the preparation. Our focus is first of all on Wednesday.”
It will be the first time that Red Bulls will face DC since the signing of Troy Lesesne as head coach of the opposition. The former New York coach will certainly be thinking about revenge with his new club who have shown a deadly ability to score goals through star striker Christian Benteke. The former Crystal Palace man netted three headers over the weekend, lifting DC over Atlanta United on the road. The win moved them to seventh place and ended a three-game winless run.
Familiarity will also be an enemy of Red Bull as Lesensne knows the intricate nature of his opponents. Many of the players are still with the club and the DNA is still there despite tweaks from Schwarz. It will make it a challenge to present something new in the gameplan.
“We have to defend very well,” said Schwarz. “I think it will be a high-intensity game on Wednesday from both teams. Hopefully we have our moments in transition, after the second ball in these moments. This is an important topic for Wednesday, to defend very compact, to defend aggressive, then in our forward defending to use the space when we can in our transition moments.”
New York Red Bulls won’t be alone in their midweek exploits as NYCFC will also be playing a rivalry game on their own against Philadelphia Union. Both teams will either have momentum or desperation heading into the clash on Saturday.
photo by Matt Kremkau