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NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 19, 2016

Jesse Marsch

Harrison, New Jersey

New York - 4, Houston - 3

Q. Congrats, Jesse. I suppose the first half couldn't have gone any worse. You come in, you move up a goal, two goals on defensive errors, two players substituted for injury. I mean, what was the halftime locker room like? There seemed to be some frustration.
JESSE MARSCH: Yeah, I mean the funny thing for me was watching our team play nervy and a bit scared in the first half. Like we had the last two games and guys don't want to lose balls and guys don't want to make mistakes. I just tried to say to him at halftime like we've never been a team that plays scared, right? The very first conversation I had with our team way back when was that there's no -- the only thing there is no tolerance for around here is not playing with everything you have.

I just told them I don't care if we lose this game. Go out and play, right? Go after the game. We needed some guys to step up. We needed some guys to make some plays. Obviously Felipe does and we almost needed a performance like that to kind of bring some life back into our team. So that part was good.

It's a little bit funny. This can be an interesting business, and it's not for the weak of heart. It rewards people and players that are brave and have courage and want to be in the toughest moments. It's one of the things I like about this business is that when things get tough, that's for me when it gets to be the most fun. So, I guess I had fun tonight.

Q. One thing I noticed in the second half was a little bit of the chip on the shoulder that you guys had last year. Talk about that, where did it come from? What was missing in the last two games?
JESSE MARSCH: Well, again, so much of the talk about our team winds up being about and some of it comes from me too, it's about the high-press system and the tactics and how we do things. I've always said that's only a piece of the puzzle. But what I think makes us us is a real strong mentality and commitment for each other and commitment to play for each other and then doing it at big moments.

So I think that hopefully, and I believe this, that tonight will be a reminder of that because above everything else, you can throw the second thing out the window. It wasn't even like a soccer game; it was like a brawl. It was who is going to survive? Who is going to emerge? In the end, I'm proud of our guys for in that moment stepping up.

Q. Two questions, one, how much did this team need a victory like this going into the break? And more of a tactical issue, how restricted did you feel without being able to make --
JESSE MARSCH: Center backs?

Q. Center backs. And also not being able to make subs in the second half the way you wanted to?
JESSE MARSCH: Yeah, I was just pointing out that was three questions (laughing). Just kidding.

Q. Can I ask a fourth?
JESSE MARSCH: Well, okay, so, yes. The first answer, we needed a game like this. Second answer sort of feeds to that is now when I have no subs to make I have nothing to do with the game anymore. It's them. It's now their turn to do everything they can to find a way to win the game, and that was probably a good thing. The coach could just stay out of the way, and it was time for the players to show what they're made of and step up. So maybe that's a lesson for me moving forward.

Q. Zubar comes out and you have to move Kemar Lawrence to center back. How much have you guys trained, practiced that or seen of that? Secondly, after their goal to make 3-2, it seemed that triggered something in the team, particularly in the midfield because it seems like your center midfield wasn't having the game you expected from them. But even after that, they seemed to turn it on. Did you see that with that goal?
JESSE MARSCH: Kemar at center back has been a discussion. We haven't worked on it much. Funny, the only other time we used him at center back was last year at Houston. Twice he's played center back and twice against Houston. There is potential for that to be a spot for him. It's just we think very highly of him at left back, but he has qualities that could fit us to play center back. Given the injuries, I'm not sure how long guys may be out, but that may be something we have to consider moving forward. Yeah, at halftime when I talked to them about showing some heart and some courage, I told Dax this is when you need a captain. And we needed him to in all ways use his bravery and his belief and confidence and swagger that that had to be a big part of helping our team rise to the challenge.

Then obviously Felipe makes some great plays. So, you know, I mean, those guys are the heart of our team and they have been since I've been here. So we're going to need those three guys again to now show what they're all about and help our team continue to drive forward.

Q. You talked a little bit about it before, but after gone Gonzalo went off, it seemed you lost a little bit in the attacking half for basically up until halftime. Then you kind of kicked it into second gear in the second half. How can you describe the resilience in your team?
JESSE MARSCH: Yeah, I mean obviously Gonzalo was pretty explosive at different moments in the first half, but I still didn't feel like we were playing with -- again, we were nervy. We didn't play with a lot of confidence. At halftime we talked, we gathered ourselves. We switched to three instead of two and then we kind of just tried to -- again, it wasn't at that point about tactics or anything. It was just about how bad did they want it? And again, it was good to see them step up.

Q. Having the injuries and making the substitutions, do you think it helped the team to get that 4-3 tonight?
JESSE MARSCH: Well, I mean, that's not how you would draw it up. I think, again, the fact that there were no subs left in the second half and that we clawed our way back in the game and gave a goal back right away, I felt strongly that if we could step -- at halftime I told them I felt strongly that if they could go on the field and believe and play and not be scared that we were going to win the game. It didn't matter what happened in the game.

We got ourselves back in and went down again, but the fact that we kept going after the game, they believed it as well. So that part was good. Again, without any subs, then they all know it's up to those 11 guys to make it happen.

Q. When you were playing in high school, college or MLS was there ever a time that all three substitutions that were made were based on injury and nothing tactical like you just had today? Was there ever a time that happened?
JESSE MARSCH: It was a weird game in many ways. I don't know that that was the case. I remember one year in Chivas we had a game where a bunch of guys got hurt and it was similar to this. We had some losses in a row. And Atiba Harris made a bunch of big plays and helped us and we won the game at home and came back. So maybe it was a little bit like that.

But, you know, one of you guys asked already, I think this is what we needed and I think this is the kind of game that can define a season in many ways.

Q. So the last substitution, to me there was a little decision you had to make but maybe not. Did you consider playing three at the back?
JESSE MARSCH: No, I was pretty clear that Connor played center back in college, and Connor's asking me, "Do you want me to play center back?" And I'm going, No, you're playing left back. He goes, "You sure?" I go, "Yes, you're playing left back." Put Kemar at center back. The word is that when he played center back in college that he was quite good, but with the size, with Bruin and the different guys they have up high I felt that having Kemar back there to battle for some area balls was going to be important.

Connor came in, the thing I'll say about Karl and Connor coming in is two things that define them as players and as people are that they are two of the most brave guys on our team. They're never afraid of big moments. Every time they're called on I know they'll be ready to go. In that sense I thought that they stepped up and they brought some of that to our team tonight, so that was great.

Q. Looked like Mike and Connor were very, very connected tonight. Can you talk to that a little bit?
JESSE MARSCH: Well, I thought that Mike got -- I thought Mike helped the game in the first half too. And he just, you know, that's one thing about Mike is Mike is a confident kid. So when he plays, and he starts getting touches on the ball and moving around in the game and wrong footing guys, he can, I think, really affect the game in big ways like we've seen.

Yeah, I thought that now when Mike starts to come inside and really find the game, that leaves room for Connor to be pushing up on the wing and there was little movements and Connor joining in late and creating some advantages there on that side, and I think that was a big part of us really tactically getting in the game. And Connor runs his butt off. He just never stops, so that part was great.

Q. I think in the 61st minute Felipe got a yellow card. I don't know, a hand ball or something. But when a player gets a yellow sometimes he disappears for the rest of the night. Do you think that woke him up?
JESSE MARSCH: No, I think he at halftime he knew he needed to step up. They all did. And I think, again, the two guys on our team that have like grit and competitive edge are Dax and Felipe, and as much as there's been talk again about them tactically and what they do different ways, and we have other talented players that play that way. Like Sean Davis, and I think Tyler Adams is going to be a contributor this year and clearly Sacha.

But the fact those two guys are in the middle of the midfield for us, I think that makes our team in many ways because they're just so gritty and they don't ever want to lose. I see it every day in training. Some days I have to like calm them down but that's what makes them special, and that's, frankly, what we need.

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