HARRISON, N.J. – The regular season is racing towards its conclusion, but two fresh faces will be getting brand new start here in the late stages of the 2016 MLS campaign.
On Tuesday afternoon, the New York Red Bulls welcomed Daniel Royer and Omer Damari to the club in a press conference at Red Bull Arena. Damari could feasibly be included in the 18 on Saturday night, while Royer’s debut could be a bit further away pending acceptance of his visa.
Both bringing vast European experience to the club, there is reason to be optimistic as the duo look to make an immediate impact.
“We feel we have a very strong team and are in a very good place, but we always have our eye out for opportunities in the market where we can improve the group,” New York Sporting Director Ali Curtis said. “These two players that we’re adding we feel are going to help us not only this year, but also moving forward. We’re looking forward to these guys getting on the field.”
Added head coach Jesse Marsch: “We’re getting two players who are very talented and fit the way we want to play. I think they’ll fit into the mentality of who we are as a group, so we’re really excited about both of them being here.”
Focusing on the attacking side of the ball in this transfer window, both Royer and Damari should provide a different dimension to the already potent Red Bulls attack.
Damari, a 27-year-old Israeli national team forward, becomes the first player ever to play for Red Bull Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg and now Red Bull New York. With an inherent familiarity with the Red Bull style of play, Damari is confident that he will be able to hit the ground running.
“I think when you play in Red Bull, you have to learn the system and how to play,” he stated. “You have to press all the time, and always press high. Like I said, when you play with Red Bull you have to know the system, and you learn every day what to do, and to show it in the game.
An impressive goal scorer with international pedigree, Marsch outlined what fans can expect to see from the Designated Player during his loan stint.
“Omer is like a second striker,” he said. “He can play up high as a lone striker, but he’s best when he plays underneath. We think the possibility of the relationship between him and Bradley [Wright-Phillips] can be really good. He’s a really smart soccer player; he’s very intelligent and smooth with how he moves around. He sees the game really quickly, he’s able to set up plays really well, and he’s good around the goal.”
Royer, a 26-year-old Austrian international, joins the club from Danish side FC Midtjylland. A technical winger with a high work rate, Marsch believes his style of play will fit seamlessly with his team’s current set up.
“We talked to a number of people that could attest to his character as a young man, we felt that he’d be a great fit,” he added. “When you see the way he trains, and the way he plays, he fits into our style of play.
“Danny is very mobile, is very aggressive, is good on the move, likes to combine, and likes to run. He’s another smart soccer player, good passer, good around the goal, so, when you start to add up all of those qualities you can start to see how, from a wide perspective, can fit into the way we play.”
The allure of playing in the Big Apple is admittedly an exciting prospect for Royer, but it serves as only a tangential attraction to his main goal.
“It’s special for me, also my friends and family because it’s not common that one of us can say that you’ve had a part of your life in New York,” Royer admitted. “Of course, I try to enjoy that as well, but the most important thing is on the pitch, and that’s what the focus is on.”
Midseason acquisitions admittedly have a bit of a spotty record when it comes to making an immediate impact with their respective clubs. However, Marsch is confident that both Damari and Royer will be exceptions to that rule, citing a familiarity with the club’s mindset.
“The commonality between these two is that they’re familiar with what we are,” Marsch told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “Now it’s more about the integration about what the league is. Most players you bring in have to acclimate to who we are and what the league is, so we’ve eliminated one of those things. We think the acclimation process will be accelerated.”
