New York Red Bulls head coach Gerhard Struber, speaking postgame Saturday night at Red Bull Arena, couldn't mask the raw emotion.
His side had just suffered a 1-0 loss to regional rival Philadelphia Union, keeping them last in the Eastern Conference table (15 place). With a 1W-4L-6D record, they’re the conference’s only team with fewer than one point (0.82) per game. Their seven goals scored are also the second-fewest league-wide.
Following high preseason expectations, the Red Bulls simply aren’t getting the job done.
“The frustration is right now on an outstanding high level – 10 for 10, I would say,” Struber said. “Not only for me, but also my boys. Again, we can see, we missed a lot in this game. Not ready in the moments when we get the chance, and one time very, very unlucky with a penalty. Yeah, that's very questionable in my eyes. We are in a special time, tough time. It's very, very difficult.”
The penalty Struber referenced arrived in the 31st minute when Union midfielder Dániel Gazdag deposited past goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. The sequence involved a lengthy Video Review check after referee Joseph Dickerson, in the 26th minute, whistled for a foul on Union striker Julián Carranza by defender Dylan Nealis for a slight pullback in the box.
Even if key moments had transpired differently, the Red Bulls were still shut out for the fifth time in 11 games this year. Struber said a huge problem is how “inefficient” New York are in the final third.
“The table never lies and the reality is we are in the last place in the table, and we make not everything right, especially the results at the moment are very, very bad,” said the Austrian manager. “ … Of course we keep fighting and we keep going. This is clear, this is crystal clear. But a loss like that is hard at the moment; that you can be on a good level. I think the frustration, the disappointment is proof.”
This difficult stretch comes as New York are without their two DPs in attacking midfielder Luquinhas (adductor) and striker Dante Vanzeir (suspension), as well as 2022 leading scorer Lewis Morgan (hip). Other key players like midfielder Frankie Amaya (ankle) and fullback Kyle Duncan (knee) have been absent, too.
Availability aside, RBNY players believe there’s enough quality to turn it around.
“We know who we are and we know our principles,” said midfielder Dru Yearwood. “We know we're New York Red Bulls and we've got to play our Red Bull football to the best that we can. We know that works. It's worked in the past and now we've got to correct it for the future.”
Added captain and center back Sean Nealis: “It's frustrating, it's a tough result, a tough pill to swallow. A lot of low heads because we gave a lot and that end result wasn't there. I believe in the guys here. We're gonna keep fighting, keep going strong, keep sticking together and I think we got a good group here.”
In league play, the Red Bulls have a high-pressure test on the docket. They’ll host rival New York City FC next Saturday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass), providing a true sink-or-swim moment with nearly one-third of the 2023 season completed. The club also hosts a US Open Cup Round of 32 match Tuesday night vs. D.C. United, creating a busy week.
“It's still pretty early in the season and a couple of wins and you're right back in the playoff race,” said Sean Nealis. “That's MLS and we're going to get better.”
