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NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 17, 2017

Jesse Marsch

Harrison, New Jersey

New York Red Bulls - 0, Philadelphia Union - 0

Q. Wanted to get your thoughts on the balancing act and the decision-making process, player's decision, who would start?
JESSE MARSCH: You're looking at which players have the best ability to recover. You're looking at how to get the balance of the team right, how to rotate guys on the week so that the team is still going to look the way we want, but also to give certain guys a break to make sure that on Wednesday we're fresh.

The game would have helped a lot by an earlier goal or a lead, and then, you know, maybe we could have put the nail in the coffin. But Philly hangs on, makes it difficult and sometimes we've had these games at home where we're just a little bit unlucky. I thought we played really well. Thought we had a lot of good performances. Thought we were really unlucky not to get the three points.

We go through a period in the season where we don't tie any games and now we feel like we tie every game. But right now the focus is about moving forward. So you know, everything right now, like we talked on the field is switching our head to fully get ready to Wednesday.

Q. Talking about Derrick, earlier in the year, just didn't seem to be comfortable out there, and now, he's really playing well, not just off the bench. Is that what you were expecting from him?
JESSE MARSCH: Listen, we know Derrick is talented, so I've challenged him to now be a little clearer as to what it really takes to be a real pro, to be a full-time, regular professional who understands what games are about and understands how to train hard every day and what the mentality is. You know, he's still young and he's still not just young in age but he needs to grow up. He needs to mature a little bit.

But I think you're right. I think today was a big step forward for him, and to see him I think play quite well, meet the standards of the game, tactically fit into the game, I thought overall was really good. So a good performance from him and really a good performance from a lot of guys.

Q. Sixth place in the Eastern Conference, just a couple points ahead of MontrÃ©al, and with the win, could potentially go to fourth games --
JESSE MARSCH: Yeah, fourth place in the lead right now.

Q. A little bit of a risky decision with some of the guys you went with in terms of maybe not the first-choice guys.
JESSE MARSCH: No, I think it's the right decision. Given everything, we want to win the trophy, right, and you don't have a lot of opportunities to play a final; clearly around this club, very few.

So we are going to place precedence on the game on Wednesday all week, but we, I thought our focus from the guys who played and the guys who came off the bench, I think -- and I think even some of the calculations on who to play, I think a lot of right decisions, good performances, and again, I think a little bit unlucky. Because on another day, we score at least a goal and then the game opens up and we could have made it more. So a lot of positive performances, good mentality from the group, and now I think it puts us in good position for what Wednesday is going to mean.

Q. Two of the things you just mentioned about this litany of ties you've had lately, how much of that is just, I guess, not being clinical and how much of that is -- since Royer got hurt, obviously looked pretty different as a team. How much is that -- well, I'll ask the second part later.
JESSE MARSCH: Okay. We missed Danny, no doubt. Danny was Player of the Month right before he got hurt. I think he has established himself as a really good player here but some of it has been a little bit unlucky. He could have walked away from each one of these games with a little bit more sharpness in some of the attacking moments and easily taken a one-goal lead and made it two or managed to control games a little bit more.

Drawing on the road feels much better than drawing at home, especially with the way that we played tonight. But, you know, I think we don't lose momentum. We keep momentum. We keep moving forward. We go after the game in a big way on Wednesday and then use that to make us better and push; and once we get that aside, we'll be able to push really hard for the end of the year and go into the Playoffs.

Q. What's your vantage point on the second half foul, just outside the box?
JESSE MARSCH: Well, it could have been a second yellow. Thought it was outside the box. Thought we should have finished the rebound, so yeah.

Q. There was some chatter online about how the league was helping to improve Panama, other teams in countries in Latin America; how would you address that notion that, well, should or shouldn't be doing this --
JESSE MARSCH: Yeah, I mean, my basic answer is: I don't care. I mean, we're trying to use all resources available to get the best young players, specifically here, that we think make us a good team.

South, Central America is a hotbed for young talent and some of those clubs down there don't have the resources that MLS clubs have. To be able to get them at a reasonable price and to find young, talented players, I think can help bolster what you have within your team.

We're very happy with Fidel and Amir. We think they are both good talents. I think that we've helped them grow as players and mature and get better. And yeah, I guess that ultimately benefits Panama.

Q. Is it any different than Americans going to Europe?
JESSE MARSCH: No, no different. No different. I don't really -- yeah, like I said, I don't really care. Obviously I want our national team to do well. I'm a fan of our national team.

But here, we're going to do whatever we can to get the best players that we can.

Q. Now you can concentrate on what's coming up in two or three days. How excited is everybody right now after coming off the field, getting ready for a Cup final?
JESSE MARSCH: Yeah, I think there's energy and excitement, but I think there's also calmness and poise. I think that balance will be key for us. We all know it's a big moment, it's a big game. Any time, like I said before, any time you get to a final, you don't know how many times you're going to be back.

But I want us to have a real quiet confidence about how we approach the next few days, which I think can prepare our minds and bodies to now in a very calm and smart way go after a big game.

So yeah, and you know, we have a lot of young guys around here but our young guys are some of the guys that are up for the challenge in the biggest way. So we're lucky in that sense. We've even got -- we're going to have a number of guys on the field who have a USL title. So this won't be their first championship; this will be their second. We'll use the experiences and we'll use our mentality, togetherness, to prepare us in a way to really go after the game.

Q. Yesterday they played all their starters -- were you happy to see that? At home, do you expect --
JESSE MARSCH: Well, I expect good at home and they are fun to watch at home, too. What a fun team.

Yeah, I think it's going to be a heavyweight fight. I think both teams are really going to go after, it throw some punches, be aggressive. I do think -- they didn't have Espinoza or Salloi on the roaster, so I'm not sure; where those guys stand or if they are just resting them. Do they Lobato; do they use Gerso; do they use Blessing.

So there's some questions in there but overall, we know their team. You're right, they have a way, Peter's had a way with that group for a long time. They have a lot of established players, guys who have been in a lot of championship games. Really tough place to play. Great crowd. What a fun night Wednesday will be, what a fun night, so we'll be ready.

Q. Got the summary --
JESSE MARSCH: Were you late? We should have fine system in place (laughter).

Q. 25 goals -- in the last five, you've only scored four. How concerned are you -- you've dominated the games statistically --
JESSE MARSCH: I think we've scored more than that -- I guess today we haven't --

Q. How concerned are you going into the final that you haven't been able to stick the ball into the net recently?
JESSE MARSCH: This team I think can score goals. I think it's just now -- you know, you could argue that our form hasn't been great. You could argue that we haven't lost a game in a while, especially with our first-choice lineup.

You know, it's always weird, like ties suck, they do. But that's what you deal with sometimes, and you always have a bit of -- you know, you always have a bit of an empty feeling whenever you get a draw. But we'll be ready. We're excited. You know, I think we're already switching our minds to Wednesday.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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