The Red Bulls will have their hands full with Carles Gil. (Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports)
The Red Bulls are mad as hell and they hope to do something about it.
Still smarting from last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at D.C. United, the Red Bulls will have an opportunity to rebound against the New England Revolution Saurday.
The Revs lead the league with a 10-3-3 record and 33 points. New York is in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-6-3 mark and 18 points.
“We are all mad. We are all mad about the D.C. game,” midfielder Caden Clark said. “I think that is going to bring out the hunger in us. We are at home, our fans will be there. I think just put on a good performance. We all just want to work hard for each other, we all want to win for each other, the amount of work we put in. We just want to repay that to the fans, the coaching staff for putting in the work, so I think it is really in our hands.”
New York certainly will have its hands full with the Revs, which has scored a league-high 30 goals. The Red Bulls, in contrast, have found the net only 18 times.
“Of course, we have respect, but I think the most important thing is that we have a big belief in our style of play and in our quality and our football,” Red Bulls head coach Gerhard Struber said. “We have not so much to concentrate on the opponent.”
Midfielder Carles Gil is the mastermind of the New England attack. He has produced a league-best 13 assists, seven more than the three players tied for second place, and added two goals.
“I think we realized that they have with Gil, an outstanding good player,” Red Bulls head coach Gerhard Struber said. “He can handle the many moments under pressure without time, also in a successful way. We do not only play against him, but they have not only Gil, they have also other very interesting players with a high talent and with high quality. We have to be very smart and very focused in our style of play.”
The Red Bulls shouldn’t try to do too much and just play out of their game, Caden said.
“Just be ourselves,” he added. “I think we play at home, and we are ourselves, we are a different team. It is very hard to play against us. So, I would say just stick to what we do best, and everyone has to be sharp on the day, including myself. I think D.C. was not the best game for anyone, including myself; my worst game in MLS so far. I think going from that we are all hungry, we always want to have a great game, and put on a good performance.”