Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan
LISTEN: Sacha Kljestan media day on TuneIn
On preseason:
First and foremost, the break was really good for me, physically and mentally, I think, to take time away from soccer. The coaches had a physical program that was sent out to most of the guys, and I told them I was pretty much going to take the first five weeks to do absolutely nothing, and I had their blessing, which was good.
To get back into preseason, I was itching and ready to go, because it was still a long offseason, more than I was used to. Preseason was a huge success, I think we won the majority of our games, we scored a lot of goals, we added some sophistication to our game with the new formation that we can use tactically, so overall very good.
On squad rotation and young players:
Yeah, I think we've said pretty much from day one that Sean Davis is the guy that, at any team in MLS he'd probably be a starter. It's unfortunate for him that we have such a good midfield, but he's been pushing guys every day in training, he comes to training with the best attitude, he works hard, and he's going to have a lot more time to play this season and I'm sure he's going to shine.
There's more than just him, we've got a lot of guys. Jesse has talked about even the four guys at the outside back position, there's going to be rotation there. There's probably six, to seven or eight of us in the attack that can only play in four spots. There's going to a lot of rotation, and look, I'm the type of guy that wants to play every game, but I also know that this rotation is going to help the team in the long run, and maybe even help me personally in the long run of this season and in my career. I think it will be a good thing for us to have that depth.
On motivation from last season:
I think maybe when we get to the playoffs we'll start to think about last year's playoff series and how we can draw on that, but we also have to remember that nine seconds into a game we went down, 1-0, and we don't want to do that ever again, whether that's in a friendly, or a regular season game, or in the Open Cup or anything like that, so the concentration always has to be there, the mentality always has to be there, we have to know that any type of mistakes can be punished at the highest level. Overall we draw from that series for sure, but we're going to take everything we did last season into account in order to be better this season.
Red Bulls Goalkeeper Luis Robles
LISTEN: Luis Robles Media Day on TuneIn
His thoughts on the coming season:
I think a lot of things about this season. First thing is, I think a lot of these guys, after such a long preseason, are excited to be out there, be back on the field, be back at Red Bull Arena. And the second thing is we have some unfinished business with the way the season ended last year. We got so close to achieving our goal of being in the MLS Cup Final, yet we fell a little bit short. So from our standpoint, we had a long winter to think that over, and we know that it's going to be a long road back, and there's going to be unforeseeable circumstances. We're going to lean heavily on who we are, and who our identity is, and that's a team that is a family. One of our major strengths that can't be overlooked is our locker room. We have a bunch of good guys here, hardworking guys, honest guys. It's those things, those character traits, that are going to allow us to be successful this year.
On the differences in this year's team from last year's:
We have a lot of guys from last year, so that continuity is going to be there, and I think that's going to be a strength for us, it's going to be something that we're going to be able to rely on. Experience is something that we may not have had a lot of last year, across the board, but with that season now in the books, we can lean on that experience when things get tough, understanding that there's going to be a certain mentality that we need to develop. A championship mentality. I think that with not only the leadership we have, but with the coaching, that's something that is possible. I'm really optimistic about not only developing that, but using that to be a formidable force going into the season, and hopefully deep into the playoffs.
On opening the season at home:
I think we're just anxious to start the season. Obviously the friendly confines of Red Bull Arena is going to make it that much more special, being in front of our fans, who I know have had a long winter waiting for us to get back on the field. From that standpoint it's going to be great, and we're looking forward to it.
On the "chip on the shoulder" mentality:
To an extent. I think what's happened is it will evolve into something bigger. We want to maintain that mentality because that's going to allow us to remember that we have to fight for every single inch. That no one's going to just give us something. There's also a target on our back now that we're the regular season champion. Having that piece of silverware, that Supporters' Shield, we're not necessarily going to have this narrow mind of "we need to defend that" because not only do we want to defend that, but we want to win more.
Red Bulls Midfielder Dax McCarty
LISTEN: Dax McCarty Media Day on TuneIn
On Bradley Wright-Phillips:
[Goals and strike rates are] easy stats to look at, but from our perspective - there's always pressure on them to score goals but strikers are so much more than that. Bradley's much more than just goals. I think the year he tied the record for most goals in a season, he was all about goals. And he's a tremendous finisher, he's always been a great finisher, but if you ask me personally I think that he did more for the team and he helped the team out a lot more and he became a more complete player for us last year - the way that he was unselfish in his defending, the way that he held the ball up against bigger center backs, the way that he got assists, the way that he made runs in behind, the way that he still continued to score goals at a very high rate - he did basically everything for us last year. ...But at the end of the day [strikers] are judged on goals and, for better or for worse, that's what they have to live with.
On the "chip on the shoulder" mentality:
Yeah, we have that same mentality. We had a meeting earlier today and I told the guys, I said, "Look. If we lose that mentality, then we lose a lot of the things that make us good.'' And so we're in kind of the same situation we were last year. I think obviously this year we'll have a little bit more respect going into the season, I think teams know, you know, we're going to be a tough team to play against, I think teams know that we have talent, but I still think that there's a small part of us that needs to feel that we're being overlooked. We don't have any big-name stars, we have a lot of guys who you consider journeymen, or you consider them - you know, they played in lower-levels in Europe or whatever people may think - but we don't have any big superstars here, I don't think we're going to have any big egos, so the only way that we're going to be successful is if every single player on this roster contributes and the only way that's possible is for guys to know that, you know, teams are going to have more talent than us but as long as we continue to have the mentality that we have a chip on our shoulder, and we should make sure that we prepare for every game like that, because as far as I'm concerned if we do lose that we lose a lot of the things that make us good.
On continuity:
It does help a lot, to have guys back that are familiar with our system and familiar with how we do things here. But I've said this before and I'll say it again, I mean, just because I wear the captain's armband doesn't mean I'm the only leader on this team. We have seven or eight guys that have just as much say or standing as me and those guys are just as important. So having all those guys back, making sure everyone on the roster knows their role and knows their job, that's not just for me - that's for all the leaders on this team.
This year, everyone has to expect a little bit more out of each other. So I expect a little bit more out of myself, I expect myself to be a better leader, a better teammate, and I expect to have a better season and I know that my teammates are going to hold me accountable to that and I'm going to do the same as their captain. I have to make sure to hold people accountable, I have to make sure that guys are not getting complacent - that's a big word amongst us, we don't want to get complacent just because we had a little bit of success last year.
Red Bulls Forward Bradley Wright-Phillips
LISTEN: BWP Media Day on TuneIn
On the possibility of becoming the Red Bulls' highest-ever goal scorer:
It's obviously - if it happened, I would be very, very honored. You know, a club this size and my name attached to that record would be good, but I always say this every year: I don't start off trying to hit targets because it doesn't work out for me. So you know, if I'm near that target somewhere during the season, you come to me I'll give you - I can tell you how I really feel and what it would mean to me. But for now, I'm trying to keep it quiet.
On improving in 2016:
There's always something, but I want to - I feel like, even last year I could've been cleaner with just holding on the ball. I want more assists. The goals thing you know I don't try to think about too much because then you fail, but yeah just my all-around game I keep working on that. I'm going to look for more assists and just more ball retention, I don't want to give the ball away too much. I think those things will help my team out and I think that my team will appreciate that more than just scoring a handful of goals.
On Gonzalo Veron:
It was good. I think Gonzalo is a major plus. You know, to see him get a preseason under his belt - when he came last year, we'd only see him in bits and bobs, we'd only see bits and bobs of what he could do and I think this [pre]season he's showed us. It's like having a new signing. He was amazing in preseason. If it is me and him playing up front now and again I think he'll take a lot of the workload off. I don't think I'll have to do half as much running. So I'm excited, I'm excited for him to get out there.
