With the current 2020 MLS season on pause, the New York Red Bulls’ coaches, staff and players have no choice but to train from home. This will be a time for them to try new things, but to also stay active and ready for when everything returns to normalcy.
Winger Omir Fernandez shared with us what he has been up to in recent weeks:
How has this experience been for you, training from home? What have been the challenges that you’ve faced so far with this new reality you have to deal with?
“Right now, probably the hardest thing for me is having the accessibility to do as much as I can to stay fit, so obviously with the team we have a lot of workouts, but some of those workouts require a little bit of space and being from New York and living in the apartments, there’s not that much space. It’s very difficult right now to go outside, so just trying to adapt with all these obstacles. Trying to make the best out of every situation, but I think we’re doing very good. A lot of the coaching staff are very flexible with the workouts and are able to provide many different alternatives.”
Talking with Daniel Royer several weeks ago, he said something along the lines of just missing having the ball at his feet. You can kick a ball around, but it’s not the same as being on the field.
“I would agree with him for sure, you know, and being an attacker, I think he can say something that would agree with me. Just shooting the ball and scoring, you know having that sensation of hitting the back of the net is something else that you can’t replicate here and that you miss so much, but even if you’re out alone to touch the ball, it’s different than when you’re in a game. It’s something that we miss for sure as well.”
With the time available, what are the things that you’ve been able to do that perhaps you wouldn’t have been able to do if the season was running normally?
“I’ve tried a lot of new things. For example my mom likes cooking, and my dad is a chef, so for me to cook with them, cooking stuff for the house like meals and baking. It’s stuff that I wouldn’t normally do, but it’s something that I’ve come across to doing even if I’m not that too good at it.”
Being from New York City, how have you observed how the city has responded to the emergency?
“It’s difficult because I understand that the city is a hectic place. I know for them to close down the schools was hard. I’ve never seen something like that before. There have been storms, stuff that happens, but never cancel school for this long. It’s something I’ve never seen, and for people not to be in the park when it’s like 50 degrees outside, it’s very absurd to see. Not seeing people working, it’s just very hard for me to be able to realize the big effect that it’s had on everybody, not just New York. It’s good that we’re saying that everybody needs to be inside, but I just hope that a lot of people can truly understand that it’s very important and actually take that action.”
Message to the supporters:
“We receive some of your messages, and we appreciate all the nice words that you guys have for us, some people keep us in their thoughts. They’re asking us how we’re doing, but we hope everybody is doing well. We want to see everybody out at Red Bull Arena soon; we want to win so many games. We’re trying to do our part, staying home and still trying to stay fit so we can come back a better team. I hope you guys stay safe, and we can see you very soon!”
