NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 3, 2022

Gerhard Struber

Press Conference

Philadelphia Union 2, New York Red Bull 0

GERHARD STRUBER: It's very hard, it's very painful at the moment to describe the defeat. I think when we look back in the first half, I think we controlled the whole game. I think it was also a little bit more dangerous, we had one very good chance in transition moments I can remember and in the end with Luqi, and then we have -- then we miss a little bit the luck, but I think the shape works in this direction and also the behavior was good and against the ball we controlled everything.

And then, yeah, we have to change in the second half, Andres Reyes was not ready to go outside and we change a little bit our structure and in the end. We was not so sharp in rest defense and how we stopped some transition moments. I think our rest defense was not always in our hand and we can see how big is the power from them in transition, and I think the second goal, we give away very cheap. The ball on the first line, and this is a present, a gift from the sky in this moment. Very cheap how they score the goals against us today, how they realize in the end. We invest a lot but we improved I would say in penalty areas, but not top in decision-making, and we had other side moments where we gave those too easy.

Yeah, it makes me absolutely unhappy today. We expect today a win. We have I think especially the first half show us how close we are to come in good moments. But yeah, we have to be on the same page until the last second, and this is what I miss, especially in the second half today.

Q. Do you have any comment on the situation at the end of the game?

GERHARD STRUBER: First of all, I hope that everyone is okay with the family in the stands. I think this happens, this is I think first of all the most important thing.

The second thing is, absolutely no go, what he did, and we will speak with him about that in a very clear direction.

Q. In the first half, you seemed to pretty much have the team under control, but in the second half, what happened, spiraled control shortly after -- you said yourself, in the second half, just simply stepped out of the gaps and basically fell apart.

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think this was first of all we give the ball an easy way, and in the rest field on our position six, not the right high. It was not in main marquis moments, and this is very, very important, especially against them.

And then they can play very easily, so they can create and develop the game very easy in the halfway line. This is also important that you stop this in the first half moment, and of course, we step right outside with our center backs in these moments. I think Sean Nealis has a big step away, and then they find the inner line.

In the end, yeah, our end defending was the -- the connection in the end defending moment was bad, and then they have easy situation to score.

Yeah, we break down two times and when we speak about the second, yeah, we can clear the ball very easy, in the second line and the third line. We have players where we can do it. But we play the first line, and this is -- so always what Philly wants. And this is also for us sexy when he we get the ball in the first line and we step out in our depending moments.

Normally every team against us, they know that this is dangerous, but we do it today with this second goal in an outstanding nice moment for them, and I would not need the word stupid but we was in this moment very naïve, and this makes me so thoughtful that we give a goal away on a level like that.

Q. You decide to go with Nealis at right wing back after Kyle Duncan came back from suspension. Was that a tatcial decision, and Duncan in the second half, what were the motivations behind those decisions?

GERHARD STRUBER: First of all, Nealis, he showed me he want to have a very good performance, and also, he deserved it; that he played today.

But we have yesterday a special moment with -- two days ago, a special moment with a COVID situation with Kyle Duncan, but this was a wrong test, and then we had to wait from the MLS until today that we keep a signal after a wrong COVID test, how we create from our side the protocol in the right direction, and we do everything that we can maybe realize that this was a wrong test. What we can do that we bring Kyle Duncan back quicker back, especially yesterday the training could help him; that he would step more and quick -- and from the MLS, we have to wait and wait. I have sometimes the feeling the protocol, they have an understanding from the protocol in COVID, and now we have this three years -- since three years the topic, but the understanding very different. In the end we have to fight that we bring him back on the right time.

But today, on the late morning, we get the situation with the second wrong negative, second negative test that was clear. Now he can step in the team. But he was not improve, and with the right injury in the halftime, but I realize it was clear that we bring Kyle. This was from the preparation, very unprofessional and COVID give us in this direction also, and also the MLS, not the right help what I would expect from the league that they help very quick that we have a good situation.

Q. What have you seen from Elias Manoel in the last two games?

GERHARD STRUBER: Yeah, I think of course, I think to step in our football world is not so easy with all the proactive moments and I was very happy with him. He show us in Montréal the first steps to step in our world, and also today, I think he was very active, very proactive. He was also in some pressing moments good on the way, and also in transition, he can save balls and also he create for himself two, three good moments to score. I think in the second half, he has two big moments to bring us on a different street, on the winner street.

But yeah, I am very, very happy with this development right now, and yeah, we have with him right now one more striker and one more possibility for interesting games in the near future.

Q. Was bringing Andres Reyes out, was that more of a precautionary thing or what's the status moving forward?

GERHARD STRUBER: It's right now clear, he was very clear in the halftime, he came up -- he has something in the ankle. I am not clear. I have not clear information but he was not worried to go out, and we can see how important Andres Reyes is for us, especially when he play against a team like Philly on this level. Yeah, we see in the second half, this was crystal clear.