Schwarz Focuses on Defending Ahead of Miami

New York Red Bulls know they need to focus on their defensive shape, heading into a difficult fixture against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on Saturday night. This season, New York has been stout in their ability to keep goals out of the net but have still yet to secure a win away from SI Stadium.

“It’s more that we are talking about how we want to defend together,” said Schwarz after training this week. “This is also important for us in our offensive behavior. We have to be very brave, to be very brave when we have the ball, to have the connection. That’s it at the end. This is what we have to do on Saturday to show this on the field.”

Red Bulls currently rank third in the Eastern Conference with just nine goals surrendered in 2025. Their last game on the road against a tough Orlando City club saw the team keep their shape and solidify a clean sheet. It is their their fourth of the season, proving that they can keep teams scoreless.

Where the questions start is how they can keep a deadly Miami offense quiet. Despite having played midweek against Vancouver, early signs are that many of the club’s starters will be available, including Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets. Red Bulls have yet to defeat Miami when Messi plays but they have found success in the past, including an early season win in 2024, 4-0 at Red Bull Arena.

Another compounding factor is the condensed schedule New York faces in the next seven days. After a tough fixture on Saturday, the team must travel to Colorado Springs to play the Switchbacks in the US Open Cup. They will turn from there to return to SI Stadium for a rematch of the MLS Cup Final against LA Galaxy.

“It’s a big step for us to go on Saturday,” said Schwarz. “Then we look to the situation after the game. We are traveling directly on Sunday to Colorado to prepare. Our game is very serious there. I would say it’s more important to go step-by-step. We know everything about the schedule.”

Last season Red Bulls visited Miami and were able to play a solid first half before crumbling in the second frame. While they may have learned from that experience, 2025 is a new team and a new set of lessons. The club hopes to find their first road win of 2025 and build off of a strong performance last weekend against CF Montreal.