New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz has been with the club for less than two seasons but he understands just how important some of the club’s oldest rivalries are to fans. This weekend’s opponent, DC United, is not just the club’s first major rival, but one that has old school fans motivated no matter where either team is in the standings.
“We know what this game means to our supporters,” said Schwarz to the media. “We need the best level. Best level in our intensity, best level in our principles. How we want to defend all together. How we want to to play with the ball in our transition moments. To defend against (Christian) Benteke, to defend against the wingers, wing backs. When they are playing with three center backs… All of these topics.”
Red Bulls are in far better shape heading into Saturday night’s game than their opponents. DC had a rough off-season, adding few pieces to a squad that missed out on the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. By contrast, New York added Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Alexander Hack and MLS veteran Tim Parker. Those move have led to a strong start for New York while DC is languishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
While placement in the standings is important, we have seen Red Bulls unable to play at a higher level when faced with lesser competition. Most recently, a trip to New England saw a winless New England Revolution jumpstart their season with a big win at Foxboro. DC will hope to ride a rivalry wave to do the same thing and hand New York their first home loss of 2025.
“Hopefully we can defend some spaces on the ball before it comes to Benteke,” said Schwarz who is concerned about DC’s star player. “We have to look in our structure. We have to lookin our performance, individual and as the whole team to play on Saturday in our stadium.”
This year Red Bulls have turned the newly dubbed Sports Illustrated Stadium into a fortress. Even in games where the team doesn’t start fast, they have been able to solidify points that see them just four points from second place in the Eastern Conference. All three of the team’s wins have come at home, with the club hoping to continue that trend against DC.
“It’s a game that we take very seriously,” said defender Tim Parker. “The two teams have been around for a long time. A lot of MLS legends have played for both teams. It’s important for us at home to take advantage of these kinds of games.”
photo by Matt Kremkau