NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 30, 2021

Gerhard Struber

Press Conference

NY Red Bulls 1, Montreal 0

GERHARD STRUBER: We expected a tough game against a massive opponent, especially we know that they have special keys on the ball, and also when they are in combination on the ground, so quick, it was not always easy to find good triggers, find good moments to press. And we have especially I think in the first half, 25, 30 minutes, we have some challenges. Especially we was not always so close what we want with our tens, or not always so high when what we want with our sixes, and they can turn or they can create the game from the same space (ph).

This was for us, yeah, I think a challenging time and we have also in one other moment, Carlos to help us to be clean in the halftime and in the end, I think in the half we changed a little bit the behavior. The structure was the same but the behavior was different, and especially when they stayed the same, that they have no idea more, and we are better and better in transitions; we are better and better in our buildup, especially the second half. We have so much control.

And yeah, I think we deserve the win. All statistics, all stats tell me now we was the better team in the end, and we scored. We scored with a very good moment from Patryk Klimala, with Caden Clark with assist, and in the end and Fabio with a goal. And I think this is what he needs and what the team needs and make us happy.

We are one step further in our playoff race. Yeah, run regeneration for the next big game against Atlanta.

Q. Obviously you seemed very excited by the goal. You went down and celebrated with your team. How proud are you of your team in how much they have recovered this season, and have learned so much over the course of the season?

GERHARD STRUBER: I told my boys that now, especially in the belief and the willingness to leave everything on the field and give everything in the end for the win, and we can see in the MLS, so many teams are so close together in the end, in the table and also in the end on the field, with a win or with a loss.

Yeah, you need an outstanding attitude to win games, and always a good tactical plan. But I think today was a good mix between the tactical plan and also about the X-factor in our team. In the end, we have a celebration, of course.

I think we live every day with 120 pros, and for success in the end, when you realize that, then I think it's sometimes the moment for an emotional explosion, and today, yes, an explosion came over me and I felt I had to celebrate together with my boys together in this moment.

A good feeling, a good feeling right now for everyone, but we have to look forward. We have a very, very big challenge on Wednesday against Atlanta.

Q. You mentioned Caden and Fabio, and the way Caden was aim to provide the primary assist on the goal. What's it like to bring players of Caden and Fabio's quality off the bench late in the game where it's goal-less, and they are able to combine and score that match-winner?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think Fabio gives us a little bit more control, especially when he's on the ball. He's especially with his physical power, helpful and with his technical ability, he can save sometimes balls. He can give a little bit more breath to come and to be compact together, and also in the end he has scoring ability, and this is the reason why I keep him in in the halftime.

And Caden, he showed me in the training and in the last few weeks more and more, he's more ready to come back and today he showed me that he helped the team in a very good direction. It's not only the assist what was very important for us. Also I can remember one special pass from him with a big chance in the end.

But I think on the post from Cristian Casseres we can remember, and I think, yeah, Caden is more and more back, more and more back in the team, and this is what we need. We need every single player in this race of the playoffs, and everything everyone showed today, we are ready to fight and we are ready for teamwork, and this was one more time the key to win the game.

Q. Were you a little concerned how the team was switched on, wasn't exactly stepping up in moments of the game when seemed Montréal was frustrating you in the first half -- was that a concern for you before finally getting a win late in the game?

GERHARD STRUBER: I think our style of play, I think frustrated the opponent, especially in the second half. They have no space, no time, and I think a team they will celebrate -- or they want to celebrate possession. They want to celebrate individual moments on the ball. They have a big issue with that.

And I think my boys make in the second half exactly the job what we want and we crush the mindset from Montréal, and this was, yeah, the big goal today, and in the end with transitions with efficiently football on the ball, yeah, we win this game.

Q. When you made the second substitution bringing on Clark, he made an immediate impact on the pitch in the second half, including the assist on the goal on Fabio. Is that what you've been looking for from Caden, that form before the appendectomy happened?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yes, I think I expect a lot of Caden, and from the other side, Caden is a very young player, and I think I can calculate right now very good what I can expect, and I think we have to be very fair with him. He's a big talent with outstanding abilities.

But on the same side, I think right now is to be humbled, to be ready for the next step, and I think me and my coaching team, we will help him; that he is in the end over the long run, the right player for the next big step. I think right now he's on a very good way. And his endurance, his attitude to work hard in the training, to give everything, this is in the end the most important thing, and Caden has this in his blood, and we help him. We give him the frame that he can be in the end a very successful professional soccer player.

This is my -- my duty, and on the same side, he is 18 years old, and we have to be also really stick with the expectation. We cannot always dreaming. We have goals with him. But we accept that he is in the end over the long run, one more time, a player for big, big challenges.

Q. Another player who is getting some attention for a good performance tonight and in the last few weeks is Andreas Reyes, curious your thoughts on him and his performance and his progress over the course of this year.

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think he make a big progress. When he come here, I think he come completely from a different football world, about the style of play and he must learn in the first time to play with intensity, to play also proactive, to be online, always ready. I think this was for him a big change in his view about football.

I think the last few month, he make step-by-step the necessary steps, and yeah, right now, we can see more and more his ability. We can see more and more how important he can be in this style of play, and yeah, I am happy with him over most of the time today, and he is for us, yeah, a big asset.

Q. It seemed like in the first half that a lot of the play was down the middle and they were frustrating you guys, and in the second half, it seemed like as you said, you kept your structure and your shape, but seemed like you were playing more down each flight. Was interest a concerted effort at halftime to get the ball out wide and try to create from there?

GERHARD STRUBER: I think we find a little bit a different staggering in the same system in the second half, and this was helpful. Especially when they cannot feel to have space in the center, and they have not so easy to switch the game from one side to the other side. They need for us more protectable, what are coming, and this was in the second half much easier to read and anticipate in which side they play and their follow action, and we can prepare our pressing better in this direction, and this was the big difference between the first half and the second half.

Also in the second half, we changed in time the shape in a different system, and I think in the end, this crashed Montréal. They have no answer about that. They played in this time only wide, and we have also wide. I think the control -- yeah, one more time, we deserved the win, 100 percent, and the statistics they tell us that.

Yeah, we are happy right now but it's one step further in the playoff race and not more. We know that we must win one game more.

Q. You just said that you have one more game, Atlanta, which is already going to be a huge match. How much confidence do you have going into that match which is going to be arguably probably the game of season in order for to you make the playoffs.

GERHARD STRUBER: I think we have two games, we start with Atlanta on Wednesday. And we know Atlanta is a massive club in the MLS with big investments with big key players.

But we have big confidence at the moment. When we look back the last few weeks, our progress, our team togetherness, our willingness to win games, I think makes not easy for Atlanta on Wednesday, and we know with what we have to do. This is an outstanding challenge on Wednesday, but we have the confidence and the conviction to win this game; and we play at home, and I think at home we are always normally one step further than our opponents.