Luis Robles: Chris Armas Is 'The Man For The Job"

Head Coach Chris Armas is keeping the New York Red Bulls humming along, without skipping a beat. 

"Everyone know what’s expected of them and the culture here is very, very clear and because of that you expect a guy like Chris to come in and not tamper with it too much, but maintain the high and loft expectations that this organization has set for the past few years, and I think he’s done a great job," Captain Luis Robles said following training on Thursday. "It’s obviously a short sample set, and there’s going to be a learning curve there, but he’s the man for the job, no doubt."

Armas took over as Head Coach on July 6. 

"He’s someone that’s very familiar and so we have a lot of love and respect for," Alex Muyl said. "I think he’s done very well at just getting our heads back to the most important thing which is the season, climbing our way up the table and playing well."

Armas, a native New Yorker, is the 16th head coach in franchise history. The former U.S. international joined the Red Bulls staff in February of 2015 after time as the head coach of the Adelphi University women’s soccer team and as an assistant on Denis Hamlett’s staff with the Chicago Fire. Armas played 10 of his 12 MLS seasons in Chicago, where he led the Fire to an MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup double in 1998, a Supporters’ Shield (2003), three more Open Cups (2000, 2003, 2006), and two more MLS Cup Final appearances.

Armas was a six-time MLS All-Star and is one of just four players in MLS history to earn Best XI distinction five times, second only to Landon Donovan’s seven. Armas was named U.S. Soccer’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2000 and totaled 66 appearances for the National Team, featuring heavily for the U.S. teams that won the 2002 and 2005 Gold Cups.

"We’re all on the same page, so the things he’s trying to implement, these are things that we’ve been thinking about and been wanting to improve on anyway, so it’s not like he’s coming in with some big 180," Muyl said. "These are all things that have been in the air and we’ve been thinking about already."