NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 2, 2022

Gerhard Struber

Press Conference

Colorado 5, New York Red Bulls 4

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think we are very disappointed today. High frustration in our brain, and what we expect today, just what we executed was not on this level of what we can do normal. I think we were not sharp enough after the lead to score again bring the game in a clear direction.

I think we bring them always a little bit back and the belief IS growing from Colorado. And I think in the end, yeah, very -- I feel very sad for many fans, they are coming here and pay a lot for the ticket. And yeah, we create a game like that; that this was not our standard, and I feel sorry.

Q. Let's not talk about tonight. Let's talk about going forward. Your team right now is in the middle of a stretch to get points to solidify your place in the Eastern Conference. What are you telling your guys after tonight; that you still have ability to at least salvage this season, despite what happened tonight?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think when you concede at home five goals, then you have to speak very clear about how you get the goals and how you create always again and again too much space for them so easy.

I think this is in the end the biggest issue at the moment that we have not combat enough and synchronize enough in too much moments. I think this was the biggest issue in this game, and also when we speak after Orlando, this is not our standard. And in this direction, I think was some weeks ago on a different level, and right now we lose a little bit the energy.

Yeah, we have, also, I think we can see from a leadership standpoint in difficult moments, how we go down. I think this is -- you can see a young group and they fight, they want to come back and we also give in moments when we are on the lead, they will invest.

But today was not enough. And we make in the end Colorado, yeah, we bring them always back with our own mistakes and of course, this is a frustration feeling for me, for my coaching team and for my boys.

But we have to look forward and we have to fight again. We have to be very clear and critical with our selves what is at the moment in a good way, and what we have to change immediately that we can pick up the points. I think today was a big chance to make the gap closer to the pick, and also to make the gap bigger through the teams that are not in the playoffs, yeah, but we don't use this first chance in a good direction.

I think, yeah, now it's time to prepare and prepare very clear and critical what we can do right now very simple what we change to be in the next game with a good capacity on the field, physical directions, mental directions and then we go again. I think right now it's not an easy moment, but I think the MLS is a challenge. We know this from the first day and right now the MLS show us a difficult face, but a typical face, when you are thinking in some moments you can be a little bit too much relaxed what can happen, and I think this game show us a bad face from the MLS what can happen very quickly.

Q. This season have you started to notice a correlation, whenever you bring in Tom Barlow, it seems like your team starts to play back more and see possession to the other team or lose control of the game. What do you think of that? Is there any correlation to that? Is there anything you're starting to take notice of?

GERHARD STRUBER: Absolutely not correlation between Tom Barlow and after him that we would have more possession or more backward passes, I think absolutely not.

I think in the end we have a situation with many, many games in a row and we have also to protect some players, they have a high load on the field, and I have to use my roster. This is the situation. Of course I have to bring and use my sub situations, especially when we have so many games in a row.

Q. You mentioned the Orlando game and obviously in Austin, the team went ahead and struggled conceding goals and obviously what happened tonight. Do you think the team in this system maybe struggles to play on the back foot a little bit? Do you think the team struggles to play reactive, as opposed to proactive when you take the lead?

GERHARD STRUBER: I think we have more reasons for that when we are on the lead. I think that we play proactive, this is normally, yeah, our big footprint, and I think we have to be very clear this direction that we don't go in different ways.

My boys normally, and then you speak about Austin, of course when you play in Austin, in this atmosphere you can create in the end a win, but you can also concede some goals. You have to look also inside in this direction what is the reason for that. But sometimes it's also the reason that other teams has much power from the quality side, and we have sometimes also expect that we can not stay with a very young group on this age in every game on a high level.

But today, and this was the big difference, today was only, only, in our hand, and we got all in when we have a moments to have the chance to make the lead bigger, and I think this is very, very frustrating that we have in the end not the killer mood to bring Colorado very quick on the loser's street, and we give them always a little bit the belief back. And this was in the end I think the biggest question for ourselves; that we struggle in the end from the psychological side from the second half more and more, what could happen.

You can see young players on the field this moment, they are a little bit overpowered with some thoughts, and in these moments, you will have a little bit more leadership, ownership on the field that they can bring the young boys with good thoughts in the right way and the right direction, difficult moments, especially when the resilience goes a little bit down.

Yeah, I think it's a big learning. It's a big hit in our face today, yeah, but yeah, this is the MLS. It's hard sometimes and you have to come back, bounce back with all of our power with good thoughts in the brain and with good match plan, with simple things, with basics that can help us, and we can create in a way our next good performance.

Q. With only two days left in the transfer window, should we expect Red Bull to be active in adding more quality to the roster as a whole, or do you, the staff and the front office, are you guys content with what you have going forward?

GERHARD STRUBER: Of course, this is my big wish that we could make the roster a little bit wider, and this is not only from today and the last days. I think the whole group is working in this direction; that we would find, yeah, the one or other player or players they could help us and bring maybe a little bit leadership inside, bring also quality inside.

I think, of course, this would be helpful but it's not only in my hands. I think this is maybe also a question in a different direction from you.