New York Red Bulls had a special guest in training this past Thursday, ahead of the last Hudson River Derby of 2025, in Red Bull Head of Global Soccer Jurgen Klopp. The man who led Liverpool to their first Premier League title in decades is now overseeing multiple clubs under the Red Bull umbrella, visiting with the North American club this past week.
“I saw a really, really good vibe in the whole building,” said Klopp after viewing the team’s training session. “Both training sessions were high, intense, full of joy. Everybody was positive about it. Everybody’s looking, I’m looking forward to the weekend. Big game, but that’s how it is going towards the end of the season.”
Red Bulls are fighting to keep their 15-year playoff streak alive, chasing the Chicago Fire who have games in hand. While the club has been successful at home in Sports Illustrated Stadium, they found themselves less than in top form away from home. The club has only garnered two wins away from Harrison, the main culprit of why their playoff hopes are in danger.
The team has suffered injuries to players like Lewis Morgan and Cameron Harper, severely hampering their offense and forcing the quick growth of youth players like Julian Hall and Mohammed Sofo. Still, Klopp sees progress with the club and feels that the team and league are moving in the right direction.
“The quality is really, really good,” said Klopp about the team’s development. “Good players, a lot of talent, high intensity. All these things you want to watch in a stadium or on television. I think (MLS) found its spot and now let’s work with it.”
Klopp has joined Red Bull mainly as an advisor, overseeing teams in New York, Salzburg and Leipzig to name a few. While he isn’t hands-on with the club, his methods have filtered down through head coach Sandro Schwarz who was an assistant coach with Klopp as his previous stop in the Bundesliga with Mainz.
Now, Klopp, along with Mario Gomez, hope to lead Red Bull to where they haven’t been, atop MLS and conquer the club’s ultimate goal of an MLS Cup win. Their weekend opponents NYCFC have already climbed that mountain in 2021, adding to the consternation of a fanbase that has seen the club fail in nearly every possible way over the years.
“I’m 100% sure in five years time, we will speak completely differently,” said Klopp. “I’m really sure it will grow and grow and grow. The kids coming up, starting to play soccer earlier, training, getting better. Obviously, the place where you can play and train is getting better.”
photo from Red Bull