New York Red Bulls are on an interesting stretch where they have garnered points from their last five games but only one has been a win. This run includes a frustrating 2-2 draw with DC where the team was up a man for a majority of the match. Still, head coach Sandro Schwarz sees that the performances are positive and that there is something to work towards.
“I think, after the DC game, the frustration was much bigger than the last game at Philly,” said Schwarz during training. “(We had) a lot of good situations and I think we had the chance to get three points on the road. It was a different feeling, especially after the DC United game.”
Red Bulls have managed the midseason rough patch quite well despite four draws in their last five games. The team has been ravaged with departures due to Copa America and the European Championship. On top of that, injuries kept captain Emil Forsberg out for a significant period of time, meaning that the club has had to manage with a more inexperienced crew. Players like Cameron Harper, Ronald Donkor, Ryan Meara and Elias Manoel have stepped up to provide the necessary boost but it has still been a difficult run nonetheless.
This weekend’s match against Colorado Rapids exposes another potential issue for New York. Head coach Chris Armas knows the Red Bull style of play quite well and former midfielder Omir Fernandez will undoubtedly be sharing his experiences on a relatively unchanged player pool for the Red Bulls. If that wasn’t enough, Schwarz and company will be tackling a tough schedule that will see them play three games in seven days.
“We know about the statistics, about a lot of draws,” said Schwarz. “At the end we have to look at our performance for our quality in each match. This is what we have to prepare for on Saturday and our main goal is to get three points for sure.”
Red Bulls are currently hanging precariously onto fourth place. One point behind them is New York City FC, a team that has been frustratingly inconsistent but a win for them in Chicago could see them hop over the Red Bulls yet again. Behind both teams is a Charlotte team that remains pesky in the standings. This makes the west coast clash with the Rapids all that much important to kick off an important week of Red Bulls soccer.
photo by Matt Kremkau