New York Red Bulls have a major rematch on Saturday night against LA Galaxy, a meeting of the two teams that played in the 2024 MLS Cup Final. Despite the big occasion, Red Bulls have had to manager their roster due to fixture congestion that sees this game as the third in seven days. Head coach Sandro Schwarz doesn’t see this as a detriment and instead sees the advantage in getting more players to showcase their abilitites.
“It’s good for the other guys,” said Schwarz on his roster’s ability to make the line-up. “I said in the press conference after the US Open Cup game, they (players) collected minutes and we won the game. It was not so easy to play there (in Colorado) with all these circumstances. It’s good to build up this confidence for these guys who are sitting on the bench in our regular season games most of the time. We need everyone, I can only repeat that.”
Schwarz hasn’t been shy about rotation either. The team has dealt with injuries to key players like Lewis Morgan, Cameron Harper and Daniel Edelman. Standouts Mohammed Sofo and Omar Valencia have shined in their minutes, proving once again how important the reserve team pipeline has been over the last decade for Red Bulls. Younger transfers have also had their moments to shine as well. Dennis Gjengaar in particular has seen growth in his game and has been relied on in various situations.
All of this is bolstered by a veteran core that isn’t shying away from the up-and-coming players. Captain Emil Forsberg has taken on that responsibility and made himself available to players looking to break through to the next level.
“They feel the responsibility for each other,” said Schwarz on his veteran leadership. “That’s good to have support for each other. That’s great to see. Not only to listen to what the coach is saying, but also to help each other. How an we solve, sometimes, these situations, especially when we have the ball with some movements. That’s good and Emil (Forsberg) is a great character, great captain for our group.”
Red Bulls enter Saturday’s game with something to prove. While they’ve been potent at home, they’ve had runs of inconsistency. Last week’s loss to Inter Miami hit hard and they know the opposition this weekend are hungry for points. LA Galaxy are currently winless in 2025 but will be on the hunt to upset a New York team that has been susceptible in the past to such situations.
photo by Matt Kremkau