|
RBNY TRAINING REPORT – TUESDAY,
APRIL 28
After training at Red Bulls Training Facility in Whippany, N.J. on Tuesday, Head Coach Michael Bradley and defender Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty spoke with the media prior to New York’s 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match against NYCFC on Wednesday.
News and Notes
• New York holds the series advantage against NYCFC across all competitions with a 16-12-4 mark.
• The Red Bulls are 5-0-0 all time against NYCFC in elimination matches, including a 3-0-0 mark in U.S. Open Cup. The side has also yet to concede to NYCFC in an elimination match owning the goal differential with a +11 advantage.
• Midfielder Emil Forsberg has four goal contributions in his last three appearances across all competitions at Sports Illustrated Stadium, including an goal and assist in New York's 3-1 win over Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup on April 15
• New York are 11-0-4 in U.S. Open Cup matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Red Bull New York Head Coach Michael Bradley
On facing NYCFC…
Big Cup game. Derby, I think at this point in the season, it's the perfect game and the perfect, perfect time. And so we're really excited to step on the field and play a big game, test ourselves against a good team, and really, really go after things next.
On NYCFC…
We've spent a good amount of time over the last few days going through New York City. We took the players through some video this morning, and they're a good team. They have good players. They have interesting ideas, certain ideas that are similar to ours, but obviously their own style, for sure, and so it's in my eyes, to two good teams, two good teams that want to put the game on their terms, two good teams that want to play football, two good teams that want to attack and score goals.
On season so far…
Generally speaking, I'm very, very pleased and very positive with the direction that we're going, I think, in terms of establishing a foundation for who we are, the football that we want to play, how that connects with our mentality, how that connects with how we connect every part of the game, how we play with the ball, how we create chances, how we attack, how we defend, how we counter press, how we press. I think there's a lot to look at and feel good about. With that said, we're all competitors, and we hold ourselves to high standards. And so there is absolutely the part of still looking closely at things and trying to make sure that we are improving and taking the details and some of the little things in terms of how we play and how our football comes together, and make sure that we can continue to improve, to sharpen up, to be more consistent, to ultimately be able to have more to show for ourselves on even more days. And so look, I remind the players every single day that the part of building a team, the part of building a group that can hold up in on the biggest days, on the hardest nights, that takes a little bit of time. You know that's real work that happens every single day in terms of how you train, how you engage the players, how you challenge them, how you push every part of it forward. And there's a feeling on the inside of the group, on the inside of the club, that we're going in in a good direction, but we, we all want more.
Red Bull New York Defender Jahkeele Marshall Rutty
On the match…
Obviously I know it's a derby. I played in some derbies in the MLS before, but I know this one's important, not just for the fans, but for us. It’s a chance to win a trophy in the Open Cup. So we're coming into this game, and we're taking it very serious, and obviously to Derby as well I think that's motivational for itself. You know, the Hudson River Derby is a big game. So I think we're all ready for it, and we're excited, for sure, for the opportunity.
On playing for Head Coach Michael Bradley…
I played with Michael. He was my teammate. He was my captain. So I kind of always looked at him as a leader and someone that I can learn from. And yeah, This is kind of his first or second year, you could say, as being a coach, and I think we all respect him in what he's done, and you can kind of see the way he wants us to play football, and the way we're pressing and these kind of things that I think he's going to be an amazing coach. I think he is an amazing human being as well. He connects with that as a person before the coach. So I think each and every single one of us respects him, and we fully trust in him. And like I said, I think we're going in a really good way. So just tomorrow's an important game for us and we keep going from there,
On playing in cup play…
We have some young guys, but also we have experienced guys who played in World Cups, who played in Champions League, so they also know how big tournaments are. But I think it's an opportunity at a trophy. And obviously we want to win MLS Cup. We want to make the playoffs, but this is also another trophy that we can win, and at home in a derby. So you know, that's motivation for itself. We're all excited, and we all know our goal, and that's to bring as many trophies as we can each season, and this is one that's in front of us, so we're all ready.
|
