NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 8, 2021

Gerhard Struber

Press Conference

New York Red Bulls 1, Philadelphia Union 1

GERHARD STRUBER: The feeling right now, it's not super positive. I think we expect a different result in the end. We expect in the end a win and we have I think so many things go in the right way today. I think we were so synchronized against a top team. And we had a big togetherness and all our tactical things that we can do; the execution, until our situation when we go in front with Patryk's penalty goal, and after that, I cannot feel the right hand of the second hole and I think this was the missing link in the end that we win clear this game.

I think this is the big learning moment for younger players that in these moments, we are not playing in possession. I think the learning curve that we have to go everything from the energy, to do everything for the second goal, and I think this is, yeah, what I miss today in the end and this makes me disappointed and this makes me -- it's a little bit of frustration in the end.

Nevertheless, we realize our situation with many injured players. We have many young talents on the field and they show me one more time, yeah, I am not afraid about the future here in the club. I think we have so many good players and the whole team make a long time a brilliant job.

I mean, the end, to beat an opponent on this level, you bring and you have to leave everything on the end. And I miss this a little bit, especially the last 25 minutes was not sharp enough in every moment.

Q. Toward the end, Philly began to fight back, and of course, your team, some of the members of your team lost their heads, a lot of pushing and shoving towards the back. However, a draw, was this expected, when you talk about putting all your efforts against a very good team like Philly, and did you feel that the result was not quite good enough?

GERHARD STRUBER: I feel the result in the end was not quite good enough. I think we can see, I think we was absolutely on the same level with this team, and especially when we go on the lead that every single player has normally a push-up, and normally we have to play for the second goal.

And yeah, this is what I miss; that we stay in this moment, yeah, without the right mindset on the field. And I cannot feel hungry boys they fight for the second.

This was more, oh, hopefully we can bring the win home. I think this mindset is not helpful. I think you can see in this moment we are a young group. We are a young group. I cannot say this is a surprise. This is also a learning curve for some players for the whole team, and we can see in this moment, we have to learn, to learn in the end that -- against an opponent on this level, you need a different mindset, especially in the end.

Q. If you can give us an update about John Tolkin's injury, and because of the goal that was scored, do you feel the boys quickly switched off when John was hurt and that led to the equalizer?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think I have no clear message right now and information what's going on with John Tolkin's ankle. I think it's not so bad. This was my first talk with him but I have not the serious information right now.

Yeah, I think you can see in this moment, Philly is a team with, yeah, with a clear mindset, and you can see they never give up. They have a big mentality in this team, and they can use some moments.

I think we was ready but not ready enough, and, yeah, I think this was in the end, you can see from the technical skills, the crossbar was very good and also the finishing. You can see from the one side, they have a big quality on his team and also they have the right mentality, yeah, for never give up.

Now we feel that in the game, and now we realize one more time, yeah, Philly wins the support, wants the support in the last season, and yeah, this is a team on the highest level in the League.

But I am very, very happy with so many things today. I think when we look in our team from the age, from the average, I think, yeah, we make so many things on the right way and it was a long time on the same level in some moments we are better; in the end, maybe not hungry enough.

Q. Tough night, definitely. The team had been so good at home the last few games, especially closing out the game, playing well in the second half, maintaining intensity. What maybe was different tonight? What areas did you see maybe both attacking and then both against the ball where the team maybe could have had a little more intensity?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think for the one time, it was the opponent. I think they are very, very good with an outstanding mentality, and we feel in some moments they break our rhythm with a foul, also with moments in under-loads that they play out of the -- they play us in the heart and in the center, and we are not always ready enough to use the transition moments for us.

I think when we shoot the second goal, we kill Philly, but we have not the right mindset, and I think players in the team from Philadelphia, they used it and they feel it that the chance coming. They had one chance in the second half I can remember, not much more, and they used it, and you can see in these moments the high quality.

But in the end, one more time, I think we are not enough ready the last 25 minutes to win this game, and yeah, I think this is in the end, yeah, disappointing.

Q. You talked a lot about some of the positives that came out of the match. What were many of those that you could name off the top of your head?

GERHARD STRUBER: One more time, please.

Q. What were some of the positives that you saw in the match?

GERHARD STRUBER: Many, many positives. When we speak about our pressing ourselves, our identity, I can see absolutely our signature from that what we want, and I think the players make so many things in the right way, and especially in transition, we have power, we have energy. We have also clean passes in the box. I can see two strikers with a big connection, with a big togetherness the. They understand more and more the moves behind the last line. They played behind the last lines very, very quick. We have very good organization in the second half for a long time for rest defense.

I think we improved so many things in the last few weeks, and especially we can see today against the opponent on this level how close we are to beat the opponent with our young team.

Yeah, I am very happy with so many things, but in the end, I am a professional coach and I will win; I cannot speak always about the development. This is I think nice to have but in the end I will win every game. Yeah, this is more disappointment the result, not so much the performance. The performance I think I see 70 minutes a top team from Red Bull and then we lose a little bit the hunger, yeah.

Q. With the next game not coming until nine days from now, home against Inter Miami, what is the biggest message that you have for the boys when it's training or day before the match and stuff like that?

GERHARD STRUBER: Now we have to analyze the game and give the boys a clear feedback from the game. This is I think necessary and also that our way and our process is absolutely top, yeah. I think I can see the signature, I can see the big progress in our process, and we go straight forward with our plan and also I hope that another player come back from injury. Yeah, this make us one more time better and unpredictable for the next opponent.

Q. Now you've been in our country and on the East Coast for a while now, what has the club talked to you about these battles with New York and Philadelphia and the other sports? It's always been rough-and-tough. Now that you've had your first opportunity to watch this between the Union and the Red Bulls, what's your feeling about this derby match-up between these two sides?

GERHARD STRUBER: It was my second game against Philly and I can feel all the way this is a big fight, a tough game, and you can see many, many battles on the field. I think when we remember in Philly, our game in the first half, I can see Kitz (ph) against Edwards and today we changed this completely. I think in so many duels, we are ready, we go in and fight like Philly with so many big players from the physical side.

Yeah, I think my young team make so many things in the right way, and we can see the derby against Philly or the game against Philly, it's a challenge. It's very good to see. And also my energy in the end -- it's also a coaching game with so many young players on the field, and it's also important that I help my young boys, but in the end, yeah, we are disappointed with the result but not with the process with the performance.

Q. Just curious again, some more injuries in this game, it was mentioned earlier John Tolkin went out, Amro Tarek had to come out with an injury. Really starting to be a lot of little injuries throughout the team. Can you give maybe some possible reasons for that or ways that you are going to try to adjust to that in the weeks to come?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think we have clear reasons for that. This is from the long time that we have so many players that are injured right now. They have not the preseason what you want for our style of play. I think this is the biggest reason in the end. And then you produce after every game one injury, and the squad, the whole squad grows closer and closer.

In the end, you cannot circulate the player in the normal plan what you want, and right now we need everyone, and everyone normally cannot play right now the whole time in our identity. And this is I think the challenge, what we have to manage that we have the right load in the training this week, and I think we make many things also in this way in the right direction.

But in the end, our football is an intensity game and is the clear signature to go, and some players, they need, yeah, normally a clear preseason, and then they have the right freshness to play the games.

And the next one, this is also a big topic, that so many players in our starting 11, they have not the rhythm in the last time to play in these rhythm games, especially they are not in the rhythm to play always 90 minutes.

Yeah, I think this is the situation. Normally young players, they play Saturday, Saturday, and now we have so many games in a row, and we can see, this is for my coaching game, for me, for the whole team, a challenge to manage. But we can see, every single player was today on the field, show me ready for the MLS and show me we can beat a top team in the League, and this gives me a very good feeling that many players in my squad, they are ready for winner.