DAVENPORT, Fla. – Friday means fly day for the New York Red Bulls, as their 12-day stay in Central Florida has come to an end. With just 30 days until the season opener at Red Bull Arena, the team will head back north for a week of training in Hanover before returning to Orlando for a second two-week stint.
- TICKETS: Red Bulls Home Opener vs. Toronto FC, Sunday March 6
Over the course of their time their time down south, the club not only trained on a daily basis, but were also able to get some valuable minutes on the pitch against collegiate, NASL, and MLS competition. In their four friendly matches, New York recorded three wins and one loss, scoring 13 goals and conceding just four.
“I saw progress at different levels,” head coach Jesse Marsch told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “They’ve had certain struggles throughout the camp because we’re putting high demands on them physically and tactically. But we’ve had lots of good steps in the right direction.”
New York kicked off their preseason slate with a matchup against the University of South Florida, notching a 3-1 win. The match featured three 30-minute periods in order to get Marsch and his staff a closer look at as many players as possible. Bradley Wright-Phillips got the scoring started in what ended up being an impressive camp for the Englishman, while strikers Manolo Sanchez and Brandon Allen also got on the score sheet in the third period.
Next up for the Red Bulls was a doubleheader on January 31, as the Red Bulls recorded a split on the day in matches with Montverde Academy and Tony Meola’s Jacksonville Armada.
The Red Bulls dispatched the Armada in convincing fashion, putting five past the NASL side, while a squad comprised solely of homegrown and SuperDraft rookies fell to Montverde 1-0. The sole defeat of preseason was a humbling experience for the young side, but Marsch was pleased with the response he saw from his side later in the camp.
“I was a little bit hard on some of our young guys,” Marsch admitted. “We’re just trying to help them understand what are good plays and what are bad plays. Around here, a completed pass isn’t always a good play. It’s about committing to the concepts of how we try to do things. We try to teach them to worry less about mistakes and more about reactions and commitment and seeing things clearly.”
On Thursday, the Red Bulls wrapped up their first Florida camp with a matchup against Eastern Conference foes Montreal Impact. Over three 45-minute periods, New York managed to put five past their Canadian opponents, recording a clean sheet in the process. While admittedly not a perfect performance, the team showed some real progress in their final test before heading home.
“I’ve seen a better understanding of who we are and what we are conceptually,” Marsch said. “We’re developing a really clear idea of who we want to be on the field and off the field. Now we’re just pushing the envelope and seeing how far we can take it.”
As the team heads back to New Jersey, the preseason workload is far from finished. Personnel decision loom large, tactics continue to be adjusted, and an increased focus to detail and fitness will surely be focal points for the coaching staff as they continue to prepare for the March 6 matchup with Toronto FC and beyond.
“It’s good that we got out of here with very few injuries,” Marsch added. “Going back home now, we’ll have a good push with some fitness exercises, then we get to come back down here to Florida for the final two weeks before the season gets started. Overall, the days that we’ve had down here have been very useful and we’ve made strides.”
