The New York Red Bulls are prepping themselves for a big game on Sunday against Orlando City SC.
“We don’t want to be in this position, but we’re going to be ready for Sunday,” midfielder Felipe said of the team’s recent play. “It’s a big game. Our big players and our young players are going to show up.”
The Red Bulls will travel to Orlando to play in the Lions’ new stadium for the first time and will be featured on ESPN as a national game.
“I love when there is pressure. That’s what we live for. That’s what we play for,” Felipe said.
The team is working hard in training, according to goalkeeper Luis Robles, as they look to make improvements to their game and bounce back from their game against Houston.
“Of course you want to be able to get back out there, but there’s certain things you want to accomplish in training,” Robles said. “We have to get a little tighter in the way we defend and how we transition going forward.”
Despite the long season ahead, Robles said the team knows they have to make changes now – and every week.
“We understand it’s a long season and we need to make those incremental improvements,” he said. “If we’re able to do that with the length of the season, I think that our defense will be as good as any in the league.”
New York is 2-2-1 on the year, after winning two of their first three games, then dropping the last two on the road against the Seattle Sounders and Dynamo. They’ll take on Orlando before a three-game homestand at Red Bull Arena beginning on April 15.
“We need to maintain the mindset of trying to improve every single day,” Robles said. “I feel like if we can accomplish that, we set ourselves up for success down the road.”
