NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 29, 2024

Sandro Schwarz

Press Conference

New York Red Bulls 2, D.C. United 2

Q. A wild night, two goals by both teams, but from the looks like the team dropped points at home against a team that for all intents and purposes, wasn't very good in the standings, and of course, you were a man up. So how do you explain to the supporters that although this is a spirited game, you dropped points once again?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, we have seen this at the beginning to be honest, directly in the game when we played 11 against 11 and, we lost the first duels and we lost the first intensive runs, and this is what we have to learn. I told this directly to our players, to our team; that it's important to find the highest energy level in every game. This is what we need, and then we have the quality.

And D.C. United made it especially at the beginning very well in their structure, and they struggled in these moments. But it was not a tactical issue. For me, it was to find the right mentality, to find the right behavior, to coach together in these moments, and this is what we missed.

And only, to be honest, only the last 15 minutes, this was good. Then it was good energy, a clear structure, clean passes, and then we find our spaces and then we had some chances. Especially from outside these cross moments, we scored the second goal. For sure we are very disappointed that we lost these two points today.

Q. Hard-fought point today. Team came back from two goals down on two separate occasions to show a bit of character. What was it that made D.C. United such a difficult opponent on the night? And just to build off that, there was a moment that you had talked to Troy Lesesne on the sidelines. Can you share what was said in that moment?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: It was a positive talk to be honest between two coaches. It was nothing special or negative or something like that.

Yeah, I agree about our performance, though. What I said at the beginning, this is what we have to learn about that, how we create our situations, how we create our moments in the final third, and the last 15 minutes, this was okay. But we need this directly in the game.

I don't talk about that every pass has completed or something like that. But we need another body language in these moments, and it was also very difficult to find the rhythm in this game; and a lot of breaks, a lot of situations, a lot of fouls.

And this is then also not so easy when you concede in ten against 11, the second goal; and then you try a little bit but not to find the rhythm, then break and then all these things, and this is what we have to learn.

And so next week, we have the next top game in Philly. It's a great opportunity then to show our real face, especially, in our behavior.

Q. Wike and Ronald Donkor, a new midfield partnership; obviously Danny Edelman was suspended and Frankie Amaya is now gone. Did either of them show something to fill in for Amaya in that spot in the near term until the window opens?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: We are able, also, to win today, especially, and also with these both six positions. And it was not only now the reason because Danny Edelman was a suspension for this game or Frankie Amaya left our club, it was not for me the main part of our six position.

Ronny Donkor is great, his performance, and his individual development. And Wike, it's a new position. As a young player, it's also not so easy for him to adapt directly and to have this confidence as a six position.

So this is what we have to learn all together, and to support all these guys. This is our job in the whole week, and then we will hopefully see as a team, not only the six positions for me; as a team then, that we have this level like the last 15, last 20 minutes.

Q. I noticed before you brought on Emil Forsberg that one of your assistants ran down to talk to him. What was that conversation? Were you guys making sure that he was okay to go in? And when he was on the pitch, what did you see from him, and do you think he's healthy enough to get more minutes going forward?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: We had some conversations with the medical staff and this was my responsibility today to give him seven, eight, plus additional time, some minutes. And to be honest, he was not ready now to play more than these minutes.

But my thoughts was that in these moments, maybe the opponents stay deep and to give him then six, seven minutes and maybe he can play then the last pass or to shoot in many moments.

Yeah, he's a very important player for us, and I think now in the next week he will joining our team training session and then hopefully be ready for Philly.

Q. Manoel and Cam Harper, scoring their fifth goal of season, both guys playing with a lot of confidence and have been big from the club. What have you seen from them specifically stepping up with Morgan and Forsberg away from the team?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, it's very important, especially Cam Harper at the beginning and without preseason. At the beginning he was not in the best physical spot when we start the regular season. But now he's in a very good spot with these deep runs, and also with his box positions. He's able to score now five goals, this is good, very good for him, for us, for the club, and this is what we need.

Q. Just to follow up on Forsberg, when you took off Cam Harper, was it more fatigue or was he just the last spot?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yes, it was only to have a feeling. Sometimes the head coach has special feelings in the game, and this was my feeling then, maybe to find the right moment for the last pass against deep open.

So when it's more open game and more transition games, then I think my decision would be then to let Cam Harper in.

But now it was -- the decision then was to think about the last pass, to find in the small space, the medium space to find these moments where we can create in the center something.

Q. At the hour mark, you made a triple sub. Talk about what you were looking for to come out of those three subs, especially the two strikers that came on, and what did you see from them that that you liked, especially when Kyle Duncan got the assist to Cam Harper?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, I think this is how we want to manage the team, and sometimes it's not only one substitution. And if you feel you need more energy, and then sometimes it's more a signal for all in the stadium, for our team to make them directly three players and this was the main part.

We wanted to change two strikers, Cory, especially, then and Julian Hall to come between the lines. And Cory, with his physical quality, when we come outside with the cross situations then that he's able to maybe to win these duels, and this was the reason for these substitutions. And at the end, especially we changed a little bit. And then Kyle more in a higher position; then we doubled three players to find Kyle; and then outside on the right side to find Gjengaar on the left side, to have these moments for crosses and then to have these two strikers in the eight position, Emil and Lewis, as well.

Q. Obviously Coronel is going to come back from the Copa America, but real quick, about Ryan's performance in goal for you these last several matches.

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, I think I said it yesterday -- last week in the press conference after the Toronto game. He's a very important player for us in the locker room, and he showed us now in these games, as well, on the field.

Great person. Gives the whole team confidence on the field, outside the field and is a very experienced player. Yeah, he's a very intelligent person as well.