Riviera Maya
- It won't happen overnight, and it may not happen by the end of this preseason stint, but the Red Bulls are starting to find their chemistry.
It was another hot one at training today as the boys took the pitch in Mexico for the final session leading up to Monday's preseason match against FC Dallas. Keeping with the rhythm of the week, the players kicked things off with stretching and a few cardio routines before getting into some more up-tempo drills and 11v11 action to close out the day. The team also worked on set plays and tactical work for part of the session.
Coach Hans Backe experimented with forward pairings and midfielder/defender combinations, but suggested he won't have a firm idea of what he's going to work with until tomorrow's match. He did, however, confirm he's looking to get about 45 minutes out of each guy and pull out the win.
"I think everyone, always professional and competitive, would like to win even friendly games. I think also that's for us. We want to win every friendly game," said Backe. "Then of course you need to see how the basics work; how we defend, how we attack with the basics, the runs, the understanding of each other, the understanding of the game - that's always the same way you work in preseason."
The team has the remainder of the day off and will rejoin later this evening to take in a private group showing of the Super Bowl. Defender Jan Gunnar Solli and goalkeeper Ryan Meara are among those rooting for the Giants, with Meara going so far as to boldly predict a 21-17 final score. We'll see where he stands by the end of the night.
Here are a few photos from Sunday's session:
