NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 31, 2021

Gerhard Struber

Press Conference

New England Revolution 3, New York Red Bulls 2

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, it's not so easy to find the right words after this game, especially with this result, in the brain, and now it's very painful. Painful for me and for my boys. We invest big energy today, a big intensity. I think we create some very, very good moments for us, but in the end, we have some big learnings one more time.

And I think, yeah, it's hard to say after the last games that we speak many times about learning and grow up, but right now, I think it's a big -- the football business show us right now that, yeah, the bad face, and I think this is for the mental side, yeah, a big challenge, yeah, to show resilience and show big endurance in the brain for the next game.

I think this is the only good one we can change our feeling on Wednesday, and yeah, I think many things only from the performance side go in a good way, but in the end on this level, it's very, very hard for us at the moment to realize results in the right direction.

That's it for me.

Q. Obviously a very, very difficult loss today. But even though this was a very bad loss, can you see some positives from your players on how they did manage to do well, even though this was a very, very bad loss at the death?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, of course, I can see many good moments from my boys. I think when we look back three months ago and I see my boys now, then we are two, three, four steps further in so many moments in the game on the ball, transition moments, how we create overload moments against a team like New England, and I think that we have so many time today and momentum and we create and we make so many difficult moments for the Revolutions.

But I think it's very hard to realize in the end a result from today. I think this is for me not so easy now, and also for my boys. I think we need some hours for regeneration and find the next, yeah, good mindset for the next challenge.

But right now, it feels very, very painful. It's a very bad feeling.

Q. Another night, you were here last week and you said the team was close to possibly a certainty back signing. Tonight, again, the team sort of collapses at the end, some goals from some moments in the box; Tom Edwards gets better in the air, of course not being a natural center back. Curious what the status is on potentially bringing in new defenders, and just your thoughts on the center back performances tonight.

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think everyone, Tom, they make a very good job, and also I think the back line make in many moments a very good job. I think, and otherwise, we realize two months, two or three months ago, that we lose our key player with Aaron Long, and also we lose Youba around six.

And right now, we have not much -- to realize one other transfer. We are very close right now to do something in our center, and hopefully we can realize that in the next few days. I think it's very important to finish a transfer for my whole team; that we are ready for the big challenges in the next few months.

We have big goals, but I think we need for these goals to realize, yeah, one other player with ability and more experience and maybe also with the higher quality than what we have.

Q. Despite the defeat it seemed like you had good moments where you were playing the ball down each side and being able to cross or pass to get it into Fabio and you had that wonderful goal. Were you at least satisfied with the way you were playing the ball down each side and then getting it in the middle and getting some chances on goal?

GERHARD STRUBER: We have to find overload moments to create chances with cross balls, and today I think we had between 20, 25 cross balls. I think, yeah, we realize many, many good moments to break the last line with our fullbacks, with the eights, but we have to find a good entrance (ph) and sometimes we missed it.

Q. Now that we've seen what is available to the team and some of the recent results, with what you're working with, what needs to change to get this team on to a winning streak to get them back into playoff position?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think it's not so much, we are very close at the moment. We look on our schedule, three times New England and two times Orlando, and we can see the challenging moments. I think we learn so much in these games and we have a very young group, and why we don't speak the situation with the injuries with the young players one more time. We have a challenging time and I think many players show me today they make big steps in a good direction, and we are very close to win games.

Right now, when we realize which team stayed today in front of us and I think we have to realize they have so much experience, they have so much quality, they have absolutely difference player on the team, and I think my team show me over a very long time, a very good performance.

For us, it's I think right now more that we are cool in the brain, especially when we are on the lead; that we don't forget our big strength, and yeah, we look for more on our short goal or we look more on to play forward, with more determination, with more power.

I think I miss this a little bit when we are on the lead. We think too much. And an opponent like the Revolution, they can use, I think, many, many chances in a very good way. It's one more time a learning for the whole team, and yeah, we have to be cool in our brain and show everyone bigger resilience, especially in the next few games.

Q. You were talking about basically making a much-improved performance in this particular game after the D.C. match. Tonight you went back and forth; I noticed you were frustrated towards the end of the match as New England began to make an attack. Did you see something in the midfield that you were not satisfied with during that time?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think the game this year, the game today, I think it's a -- I think it was on every phase on the game, big steps better, and we make a big progress, but this was necessary today. We know that when we play at home, we show our fans a good performance.

In the end, you need every single player on a very high level and you need every single player on his best ability, and I cannot say this about every single player today. When you have a chance to win against a team like the Revolution, you need everyone on, and we miss this a little bit today.

Q. Tonight the Red Bulls picked up multiple goals for the first time since the match against Orlando. What went into making the attack so potent tonight?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think we have many, many moments with big plays, directly combinations with good forward runnings, and I think this was in the end a good mix between play through the windows on the ground very quick, and also play cheap balls.

I think we have many, many good moments. This was not so easy to handle and manage for the Revolution. It was for some moments unprotectible, and this is what we want, especially my attackers have good moments and different moments and make good layoffs, and also good dynamic in the box.

Yeah, I think it was a good step, in the end not with the right points, but this is the way with young players. This is not always easy. This is hard but we are ready and we give the boys from tomorrow the next good feeling for the next big task. We are ready and especially me, I realize that, also in the past I can handle that and my boys will comeback strong on Wednesday also with the right result.

Q. Given the recent results of your team and so close to winning a few games, so does the next game against Cincinnati feel like a must-win for you?

GERHARD STRUBER: I think a must-win in football is I think not -- not the right message. I think we have to bring the right performance. We have to bring an outstanding, good performance on Wednesday. This is what I expect from my boys, and in the end, to win a game, you need always a little bit luck, and today we was very unlucky in the end to lose this game.

We have to fight to bring the luck back in our fortress, and this is the only big -- the big message what I will give my boys.