So far in the 2020 season, Amro Tarek has played all 270 minutes. On Saturday against Atlanta United, the Red Bulls achieved their first shutout of the season.
“Yeah, I think the shutout was very important for us, you know, as the Red Bulls backline, we really work a lot,” said Tarek. “There's a lot of demands on us. I think getting a shutout is a big reward for us, so I hope we can get another shutout next game and concede less goals as possible in all the games because this will help our team. We know our strikers will score every game, so keeping the cleansheet is very important for us.”
After three matches played, the Red Bulls have had five different goalscorers, and the togetherness the team has shown since it reported for the first day of preseason has been a common theme. Tarek sees it as one of the main reasons for the (2-0-1, 7 pts) start.
“Yeah, I think togetherness is not just a saying,” he said. “We’ve been working together so hard since the pandemic started. No one complains. We were so motivated to come down here to win this tournament and to play in this tournament, and I think you can see how fit we are on the field. And that's really because we are together, we work together, we compete together. It's just great, and I think it's really important to get good results in this tournament. And in the group stage, especially because this will count to the season afterwards.”
Against Atlanta, Tarek completed four clearances and got one interception. The 28-year-old center-back notes Gyasi Zardes and Lucas Zelarayán as two players to keep well-checked.
“They have a really good striker who can find our blind spots,” said Tarek. “Also, their no. 10 is very good, so we have to be careful behind the ball and in front of the ball in the red zones. Also, I think they are very good at crosses, especially low crosses, so we have to be careful with these.”
However after starting the MLS is Back Tournament on the right foot, Tarek sees the team in great spirits as they prepare for their clash against Columbus, who they met in the Tucson preseason stage.
“I think as a team, we feel great before the Columbus game,” he concluded. “You know, going into the game with three points is very good, very important knowing that winning against Columbus will take us to the next round, the knockout rounds. So I think we feel great about that.”
