NEW YORK RED BULLS (3) – TORONTO FC (0)
HARRISON, N.J.,(June 22, 2024) — The New York Red Bulls has entered a weather delay after resuming game Red Bulls defeated Toronto FC earned 3 points at home.
SCORING SUMMARY
RBNY – Elias Manoel 30’ (Noah Eile)
RBNY – Dennis Gjengaar 47’ (Wikelman Carmona)
RBNY – Cameron Harper 75’ (Dylan Nealis)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
TOR – Matty Longstaff 54’ (caution)
RBNY – Daniel Edelman 68’ (caution)
TOR – Deybi Flores 87’ (caution)
RBNY – Noah Eile 90+2’ (caution)
RECORDS (W-L-T)
New York Red Bulls 9-4-7 34 points
Toronto FC 7-10-3 24 points
LINEUPS
NEW YORK RED BULLS – Ryan Meara; Dylan Nealis, Sean Nealis (C), Noah Eile, John Tolkin; Dennis Gjengaar (Cameron Harper 65’), Daniel Edelman, Frankie Amaya (Ronald Donkor 87’), Wikelman Carmona (Kyle Duncan 78’); Elias Manoel (Julian Hall 78’), Dante Vanzeir (Cory Burke 87’)
Substitutes Not Used: AJ Marcucci, Andrés Reyes, Aidan O’Connor
TORONTO FC – Luka Gavran; Sigurd Rosted, Nicksoen Gomis, Kevin Long (Aimé Mabika 70’); Federico Bernardeschi, Alonso Coello (Kosi Thompson 39’), Deybi Flores, Derrick Etienne Jr.; Matty Longstaff, Lorenzo Insigne (C) (Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty 70’), Prince Owusu (Deandre Kerr 81’)
Substitutes Not Used: Greg Ranjitsingh, Kobe Franklin, Charlie Staniland, Cassius Mailula
JOHN HERDMAN – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC
Q. Long and difficult night at the office for you. A bit of a wait before speaking to us. Did you have words with the team?
No. There was a fire alarm that we had to deal with, so we’ve just been dealing with some kind of emergency that’s been going on, whether we had to get out of the building or not.
We spoke to the team on the field. We’ve had some harsh conversations in recent weeks, but tonight, you know, the conversation was out on the field in the huddle as we normally do.
A number of us spoke. The key message, the guys didn’t quit. It wasn’t good enough. We know that. We keep shooting ourselves in the foot in key moments at key stages in the game, and we got to get next task, got to get back to work on Monday, and get a good week’s prep into Atlanta, which will give us a chance to reset, refocus, and come back to an identity which is tough to beat. Which as you’ve seen, we’ve had some ups and downs, we’ve had some really good moments across these three games, we’ve had some good moments tonight and we’ve had some just moments that are way below the standard that’s required to compete in the MLS.
I think collectively we’ll be getting in this week to move forward, and that’s all we can do. We can’t look at what is on the outside. We’ve got to stay tight together and move forward this week.
Q. Any positives tonight? Anything that you can look at this sort of performance and say we can build on for the game against Atlanta next week?
It’s a reset, a back to basics reset. That’s the reality this week. It’s coming back to the identity, the commitment around the tactical identity and the rhythm, just trying to build that rhythm with a consistent group.
So I think there is some positives. Tonight I thought there were moments where we looked threatening. It’s a tough place to come, as you know. The Red Bulls Arena is not easy, and it’s a team that has a well-defined identity, and it’s been an identity they’ve been able to impose all season on teams here.
The positives, they didn’t quit. That’s an important piece. Guys kept pushing. The guys that came into the game had more energy, more bite, more fight, but at times we were just lacking that a little bit of quality, the quality in big moments to unlock them or protect our net.
I think as you watch that game, John, when you concede straight after half-time, it’s an awful time. Now you’re going up against the best transition team in the league where you’ve got to open up a bit and guys are thinking more forward than back. You’re playing right into their hands.
So for us, we just needed to be more patient. At 2-nil down, you’re still in the game, but we just left that stretch where they thrived in that moment. Sometimes it’s hard to get that through to the players. The players are thinking, we’ve got score, we’ve got to score.
Yeah, so, again, that’s part of the discipline, the journey that we’re on when we’re coming into away environments.
Q. Is there an update an Alonso [Coello]? It looked uncomfortable.
Yeah, it’s a hamstring and he heard something as he went down, so usually when they hear it it’s no less than a grade two, so we’re expecting that will be three to four weeks.
That’s probably the first reality when you hear from a player that he heard it. Fingers crossed it’s less than that. But, yeah, that’s another one on the list.
Q. The two goals, the second and third, were off giveaways by your team. You mentioned the transition and they moved quickly. How frustrating is that? How to see silly giveaways lead to goals like that?
Yeah, that’s been one of the consistent themes across the games. You know, as a collective, players, staff, we’re just not learning from it.
That’s what this week will be about. It will be back to basics. We’re not a direct team, John. Like the profiles of our players, it’s not set up to be a direct team.
You are reliant on a possession-based style of play where you have to draw a player in behind to play underneath to across and around, and that takes precision.
At times when guys are fatiguing, those passes go awry. Then you got to hope. Just about being narrow as a team, so that those lanes weren’t as open in transition.
Again, when the guys are fatiguing and they’ve gone forward and in a stretch game now, it plays right into the Red Bulls’ hands. I don’t want to blame the players. They’re giving their all. There is not a guy out there that’s not giving this their best, but all know our best isn’t good enough at the moment.
There is more to come from this team because we’ve seen it away to Orlando, at home, to Montreal, we’ve seen some big performances where this team has been right at it.
It’s key we get back to that.
Q. A VAR check, a two-hour rain delay, a fire alarm post-match. Was there a moment you got the sense that this wasn’t going to be your night?
No. I was happy for the rain delay because being done in the channel twice in the first ten minutes, just give us a chance to manage that.
Then again, I thought coming out just looked like a game where we would be okay. You know, it looked like you’re in the game, you’re away, they are getting momentum. But it wasn’t absolute Luka [Gavran] is making save after save, crossbar shots, corners. It wasn’t that.
But coming out of half-time I think when you concede that early, you know what the team talk has been. You’re right there. One goal away to the Red Bulls; you’ve had some good moments. We’ve come off the tactical identity the last ten minutes. Let’s get back to that process. Showed them some clips of the where the opportunities are and the two things we need to clean up and then you’re 2-nil down after two minutes.
So goals change games, and we’ll get back. I mean, as I’ve said, they just have to go to the next task. That’s all we can control at the moment. Just next task, back to basics and looking at it evolving tactically for a tough match in Atlanta.
Q. Watching a game from television is not the best way to examine it. Seemed like Lorenzo [Insigne] had a quite night. Everything okay with him?
He’s coming into his third match. You know, it’s always a challenge. You are always pushing to start your strongest lineup, a way for him to create that magic. I thought he had some good moments the first 25 minutes, and he’s a talisman for the team because he can turn the game on its head.
I think a couple of things, like we’ve got to keep looking to give him better service. Better movement when he’s on the ball because he can pick passes. At the same time, as a team, we’ve got to make sure, when Lorenzo comes on the pitch, we can bring that next level of quality collectively.
So I think all in all, from Lo, he’s put a big shift in over three games given. He hasn’t played consistently now for the first half of the season with his injury, being away with the paternity.
You know, coming back now and pushed out 90 minutes, 100 plus first game and 70 in the last and now he’s pushed out 60. If anything, we know he’s more durable and he hasn’t broken down which is great news.
So give him a week to recover and he’ll come alive, I think, with a week’s prep into Atlanta.
Q. Any word on baby Petretta?
Not yet. Not yet. We were hoping to get him in on a flight today. She gave birth yesterday. But she’s gone into labour and obviously dad has to be there. He has to be part of that and experience it.
So we miss Raoul [Petretta]. He just has so much quality. But there is no way he’s missing his son or daughter being born.
DERRICK ETIENNE JR. – MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC
Q. Obviously it’s a tough result in a tough place to play. How would you characterize the team’s performance tonight?
I don’t know. It’s kind of difficult. I’m still processing it. I’m still upset about the loss. I think we have to sit down and talk about it, analyze it, players and staff.
So real difficult. I can just say that there were things that we talked about before the game that we wanted to see, and I think one thing we didn’t see is us quitting.
So I think that’s a positive take from it. We at moments played some very good football. Got in behind, I got to do better on some of the plays in the first half.
But, yeah, I mean, overall really disappointed right now. I’m sorry if I didn’t answer your question. It’s hard to put into words at this moment in time.
Q. The conditions were the same for both teams. An hour and 40 minute weather delay, fire alarm at the end. Did it feel like a crazy evening?
I cannot comment on the things that the league has us doing. I’m sorry. I don’t want to get fined.
Q. What’s the difference between a play coming off and not coming off? What’s the margin between success and failure in a game like this?
I mean, it could be a number of things. Red Bull does a very good job making plays difficult for you. So for instance, I think there is a cutback that I tried to go for Matty [Longstaff] that after looking at the play got baited into.
Another one I think I probably don’t help myself trying to play through a foul. I try to be an honest player and I think maybe if I just stop or go down it’s a yellow card. After speaking to the referee, yeah, he would’ve given a yellow card and all that.
It’s those little things, reading what the defender is going to do, making sure the pass is precise and firm enough or soft enough.
Yeah, I mean, it’s a lot of things. Yeah, just we just weren’t at our best tonight, but we wanted to make sure that it didn’t look like Chicago in the aspect of it looked like and felt like at times we quit on that game. I don’t think we quit today. Just weren’t good enough today.
That’s something we got to look in the mirror. Something every single one of us has to see what we did good and bad and rectify it, because we have a game against another eastern conference team next weekend.
Q. The team is now winless in six games and three losses in a row. When you look at this stretch, how do you dissect this? What do you see as the major issues? And then what’s the team have to do to get back on track?
I don’t know. I just feel like a lot of times we beat ourselves. I think little mistakes from everyone cause lapses in the game, and of course when you’re in a tough stretch like this, it’s very easy for confidence to go down, so sometimes you might see heads drop after a goal.
We just got to get back to the football that we were playing before and the mentality and the confidence that we had. I see a lot of the quality in the group and we have a lot of winners in this group.
I just think it’s one of those times when you’re in a little bit of a bad spell where things aren’t going your way and you got to make things happen. I think we’re just a game away from that.
We came to a tough place, played a good team, and we came up short. That has to hurt everyone in the locker room. We all have to feel something about that and just be ready for the next game.
The good thing about that is there is a game next week so we have a chance to fix our mistakes.
But yeah very disappointing losing three on the bounce and then six — winless on six.
So just got to get back to playing our way, getting guys back in with confidence and executing in the final third. I think that once we do that, we — myself and Prince [Owusu], Fede [Federico Bernardeschi] — all of us can relieve some stress off the defenders and the attack.
So I think it’s a group thing, and I just think that once we hit that little stride I think you’re going to see great things.
