HANOVER, N.J. –Facing a short week with a home fixture against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night, the New York Red Bulls got back to work on Monday afternoon, looking to bounce back quickly from their poor performance in the nation’s capital.
Reflecting on their loss, the Red Bulls hardly minced their words.
“Everything went wrong,” midfielder Felipe told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “Everyday we come to training and try to do our best, but on the day we weren’t good enough. Now we have to forget that game. We have to learn everything we can from that game so it never happens again; it was unacceptable.
“For this team, with the quality we have, the personnel we have, the way we train every day; that can never happen again.”
With the loss in the rearview, the Red Bulls now face the challenge of moving on quickly while still keeping that feeling in the back of their minds, taking “everything and nothing,” as Felipe explained.
In a rivalry match, the lackluster performance was an unpleasant surprise, but one that midfielder Sacha Kljestan won’t soon forget.
“That’s probably our worst game that we’ve had as a group since the start of 2015,” he said to reporters after training. “It was a bad performance, one that you just want to throw away and get on to the next one, but you have to look back on it and learn from it. In a rivalry game or any type of big game, it’s not just the soccer that matters, it’s the mentality and the way you fight, as well. Definitely not good enough against D.C. but we have a quick turnaround and a game against Chicago where we can set this right.”
Returning home for a midweek fixture, New York will have the chance to wash the bad taste from their mouths and return to winning ways.
“It’s always good to play so quickly after a loss,” Kljestan added. “We’re going back home to play in front of our fans, hopefully get a good result so that can wipe away that loss in D.C. It’s down to us now to put in a good effort against Chicago.”
In a crowded Eastern Conference in which parity reigns supreme, few teams have truly separated themselves from the pack. But if the Red Bulls are to get back on track, they’ll need to build on their recent home form and win a third straight game at Red Bull Arena.
“We’re desperate to play again and prove that that’s not who we are, to prove to ourselves that we’re committed in all ways to be the team that we want to be,” head coach Jesse Marsch said. “If you had to sit on that game for too long, it would be very bothersome. It’s a chance to go out there on Wednesday night against a team that will be equally desperate. We know that sets up for a dangerous game, a difficult game, so we have to put everything out there and have confidence and show what we’re all about.”
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