From RBNY
After training at Red Bulls Training Facility in Whippany, N.J. on Friday, head coach Sandro Schwarz and forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting spoke with the media prior to New York’s MLS regular season match against Atlanta United FC on Saturday.
News and Notes
• The Red Bulls have posted a 5-0-3 mark in eight career home matches against Atlanta United FC across all competitions.
• Forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has scored four goals in his last two appearances at Sports Illustrated Stadium. His nine MLS goals this season ranks tied for third in MLS.
• Forward Mohammed Sofo has scored a goal in three-straight matches.
• Goalkeeper Carlos Coronel has posted six MLS shutouts this season, which ranks tied for fourth in MLS.
New York Red Bulls Head Coach Sandro Schwarz
On defending Atlanta…
Defense behavior was good in Atlanta beginning of the season, really good in a lot of good moments and with their quality, especially with the individual quality, with the strikers and the winger players. They changed a little bit the structure the last games, when we compare this to the first game. Now they played most of the time the last four or five games with three center backs against Orlando. They switched them in the halftime. But it's a really good team, and we have to defend all together. It starts with our pressing, but of course, high responsibility for our center backs against the strikers.
On finishing the busy month of May fixtures strong…
In my mind is not what is after the game, if we can relax, or something like that. Only in my mind, and also for our guys, is to keep the focus, to keep the concentration for this game tomorrow. This is our level. We need the highest quality on the pitch tomorrow against Atlanta united. So this is my main part, my main focus, and this is the clear direction for tomorrow.
On mindset of playing Atlanta…
We are always preparing the last games of Atlanta, and that we are always looking from their best performance, of their best quality, and not to think too much, which result we got the last couple of days. So it's always the same. It starts 0-0 on Saturday, and then you have to be ready at the beginning of the game and every duel in every run, in every passing to be very serious, to play very clean. It's a really good team. Everyone knows it was the quality. I don't want now to mention all the names of the starting lineup of Atlanta, but everyone knows we have to defend altogether and to keep the focus and not to think about, okay, after that is a national break. No, it's the last game of these tough months. This was directly the message after our Wednesday game against Charlotte. We have to be ready tomorrow when it's kick off.
New York Red Bulls Forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
On partnership with midfielder Emil Forsberg…
It’s a pleasure to play with him. He’s a great player. I think we are linking up more and more and better and better. It’s fun on the field of course. I hope we will link up a lot of more times and are involved in more goals and assists, but the most important is the team performance. It doesn’t matter who is scoring, at the end of the day we all have to play good together. You saw it last game, we were not starting but the team did good as well. Now a big important game comes up on the weekend and we are looking forward to that one.
On closing out the busy May of matches at home…
Very important. First of all, we want to win every game at home. We’ve had a lot of games recently, we want to finish the term with a win and then we have some days to refocus to recover and to focus on the next one. Atlanta is going to be a tough game, good team as well but we want to win at home and look forward to that game.
On victory over Charlotte…
First of all, was a great feeling and we had a lot of changes as the coach was rotating which is a good thing. I think the team did very well from the start. A very good team performance against a good team with very good individual players. Was important to show straight from the first minute that we play at home and I think the team did very well. I am happy I had my impact as well and at the end of the day was a tough game, but very important victory for us.