NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 28, 2021

Gerhard Struber

Press Conference

Chicago Fire 1, New York Red Bulls 0

GERHARD STRUBER: Hello, the feeling right now, it's not on the best level with me and also with my players. We expect today a win, and we trained the whole week in this direction in a very good direction with hungry boys, with brave and also the right killer instinct to score goals. And when we look back on this game, then is this exactly the missing link, we are not hungry enough to create in the end big chances and score.

I think this is the answer, especially for the second half. We dominated the game from every statistic, but in the end, I miss killers. I miss killers in the opponents box, and for the first half, yeah, I think we cannot create in the first half the chance the what we want. Yeah, I think I can remember, too, two moments with a little bit luck, maybe we can score.

But also in the first half, not the energy to bring the fire in big problems. And then we are one time with a long throw-in and we know this from the away game, we are not ready enough to clear the ball. We are a little bit surprised one more time, and then we are unlucky, and in the end, yeah, they score.

But one more time, second half we dominated the game. We cannot score. We had some good moments, but in the end, I miss killers, and this is -- yeah. So we cannot be happy with this game and especially with this result in the end.

Q. You dominated a lot of the statistical categories and out-shot Chicago, 16 shots but only one of them actually got on goal. What needs to change about the team's offense and the team's attacking to create better chances potentially in games like this?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think we have some good chances in the box to score, but we are not clear enough in these moments. I think we have the time to control the last ball in the goal with more -- more cleaner. I think this is what we have to train, and also that the players are in these moments not surprised that they have the chance to score. They have their only one, and this is a responsibility to score.

I think in some moments, we want to score the goal as quick as possible, and this is not necessary. We can make one more pass or we have one more second, and I think in some moments we have to realize that; that we have no stress when it's not necessary. This is what we have to learn, especially when we go back in the analysis of this game. We have in the end 20 shots, one on target, and this makes, yeah, the situation very bad.

Q. Did you feel that Fabio plays much better with the ball on his feet or trying to play him to open spaces and trying to set him up with headers?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think Fabio has in the game sometimes outstanding good moments, yeah, and sometimes he miss a little bit the luck to score or he may cause in some moments not always the movements in a direction that the opponent has no chance to come in the invite (ph) one more time.

I think, yes, he has also I think some things to learn and to improve, but I think with his layoffs and also with his play from open play, he helped the team in a very good direction. But in the end, we need also from our strikers, yes, to score goals, and yeah, we miss this also from him right now, and we need it. We have not -- we have the right luck in the end, and also sometimes not the right hunger and the killer instinct to score.

Q. Just on that thought, you guys do create chances and you're able to get shots on goal, but what specifically, if you can point to one or two things lacking with the final touch and with the shot on that.

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think this is sometimes, one more time, yeah, that you realize with a good pre orientation what's going on in this moment, and you have to realize it's time or it's not time. All we need is one more pass in the center line and sometimes we go too quick in the decision to shoot, and sometimes we have not always the right handling to realize in the right moment the right decision.

Yeah, I think the players have to learn, and we have to train this one week one more time very clear. And yeah, it's a learning process in some spaces to realize a better output. This is I think right now the situation, what makes not me and my team happy.

Q. Kind of the same not, the team has only scored twice in open play in the month of August. You said you need more killers and you need better instinct in the final third and you need to be more patient, but at some point, tactically do you need to reassess your patterns of play, how you build out of the back, especially as teams look to drop back and don't give you as many transition and pressing opportunities, which is kind of where most of your best scoring chances have come from?

GERHARD STRUBER: We expect today a deep block from Chicago, and especially the goal that they score in the first half. Player is not our cards and they stay very deep, and they defend, yeah, very good.

But in the end, I think we trained the whole week to recycle the game in a direction and find spaces between the wingbacks and center backs, and in some moments, we find it. We come behind the last line, and then we find not the right address.

In the first half we have two very good transition moments, but we are not clean enough in the opponent's box, and in the second half, we have also some good triplings with our fullbacks. We come in the last third with good recyclings and with good combinations. But in the end, you need for the last punch, yeah, a clinical pass, and also the right determination to score. And I think this is a step, what I miss today.

Q. It seems to me looking at the team that the talent is there and you're dominating statistically, however it seems that the team is inconsistent when it comes to that killer that you mentioned; that you're missing that final pass. Your next game doesn't happen until September 11. Are you and the coaching staff and the players going to get together and say -- what is one thing that you can start getting consistency to get results?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think we have more things to improve when we speak what is the missing link that we realize bigger chances. I think we come with our fullbacks, our wing backs, depending on the shape that we play always, with a good dynamic in the opponent's box. But our position in the opponent's box, we have not always the patience to come on the second post, to come on the first post. We don't realize in these moments always the right position.

The handling and management of this moment to come in a better position with dynamic, with better numbers, yeah, and this is also a big topic that we have not always big enough number of players in the opponent's box; that we realize in the end with big power, the goal.

Yeah, this is what we have to improve with trainings and also that we find back also with a little luck in situations that we realize in the end that the opponent don't score. I think today when we look on the goal what we get, I think it's crazy.

It's also unlucky and also not in these moments ready to clear the ball on the outside line or in the inner field that they have no chance to create something more.

And I think we have on both sides some improvements for our chest, and especially that we have to train how we handle moments to come in the last third and realize better chances with better forward runnings in a better timeline. I think this is the most important thing what we have to train.

Q. Obviously you'll probably take a look at the film during the international break before the next match to train but do you feel there's been a lot of miscommunication in the attacking end of this match tonight? There's moments that Patryk sprung himself for a ball that never came until a couple seconds later and that if he would have touched it, it would have been off-side. Do you feel there's been some miscommunication lacking with some of your players?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think especially when a striker like Patrick, he has not -- or he cannot score at the moment or he has not the right feeling never second, then they think too much. I think he wants today everything for the team, and he drove many, many power in this game, but in the end, he's a little bit unlucky at the moment.

Yeah, we have to work with him, with the connection with him, with Fabio, also with the temps going in more efficiently, a way that we score in the next games. We can see some moments, his quality, but in our style of play, in our identity, we need in every second the strike count, and not that we have some -- yeah, we lose the focus in some moments.

And I think this is for him, also, a bit different and a big learning what we expect here in our club, especially with our identity. And yeah, he has to learn and improve that and he will show us in the future, I am very convinced about that, goals that we are very, very happy.

Q. Obviously the team is currently not in a great place in the table, and they are currently projected to be a little bit worse than they were last season unless the team turns around. What is your answer to people would say the team has maybe gone backward this year in your first season and what your goals going forward to make 2021 productive and to pursue your general project here in New York?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think right now it's in our hand that we change the situation in a better direction. I have nevertheless lose today big trust in my boys.

But we need for the next weeks, yeah, killers. We need hungry boys. They are ready with a big motivation to win the game in the end. I think today, we make many things in a good way, but we miss a little bit the killer instinct. I think we have to work for that, and also that we need every single player the next few weeks go in a way that we need everyone with the people waiting for us. We have so many games and we need every single player.

I think many player don't understand that we need him always on the outstanding border, then a new one is coming in the team. I think right now it's a big competition in many positions in the starting 11, and we need everyone in here for now with the international break, two weeks' time to prepare the right boys with right hunger for the big comeback for what we want. I think right now we have no time to wait. We have right now to score. We have right now to realize points; that we have in the end we have a chance to come one more time in the playoffs.

Q. Is there an update on Andrés Reyes? And can you also explain Tom Edwards for Kyle Duncan, was that tactical or injury-related?

GERHARD STRUBER: With Andrés, I have from my medical department no answer right now what's going on. I cannot say something about that.

Yeah, I think with Kyle and Tom, it was more that we bring Kyle a little bit higher in the position that he come more in the opponent's box. This is what I want with a little bit more power in the last third. Yeah, he create this one or another time, but also not with the right address.

I think this is the big missing link what we have right now and that we come in the final third but we have to be cleaner, we have to be more hungry and find the right position. This is I think what we have to train, what we have to realize, that this is right now the big topic what we have to improve.