New York Red Bulls responded to their lackluster loss to DC United last week with a tough 1-0 win over CF Montreal on Saturday afternoon. The win got head coach Sandro Schwarz’s team back on track and put them just two points back of where they were just one year prior. The second year coach knows that there is much to improve on but spoke highly of his team’s reaction following such a disappointing result one week prior.
“I’m very proud of they guys and how they handled the situation today,” said Schwarz after the win. “I’m pretty sure that every coach in the world would want to have this consistency every Saturday or every Sunday. To see the highest quality performance and that’s a topic for sure.”
Inconsistency in form has been an issue that Red Bulls have been plagued with in 2025. While implementing a new style that sees the team holding possession more than in previous years, there have been momentary lapses in concentration that have given up momentum shifting goals. When the team does keep their focus, they are a formidable club that keeps the opposition pinned into their half.
Another issue is the team’s lack of playmaking in the final third. Despite having dynamic players like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg, New York has found it difficult to find the finishing touch to match their possession stats.
“We were very successful last year,” said Schwarz. “We had 17 points (last season). The feeling was a little bit different than what we have now. It’s clear consistency is the main part. We are working for that.”
The win raises Red Bulls’ home record to 4-1-1. The club has garnered all of their wins at SI Stadium and hope to take that momentum down to Miami next week. Normally such a trip would be a burden but anticipation is that star players Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez may not be available given the upcoming fixture congestion. Still, New York will look for that consistency on the road where they have had problems scoring goals in 2025.
photo by Matt Kremkau