Jesse Marsch and his New York Red Bulls are playing with confidence as of late.
New York has now won six of its last eight matches across all competitions, including five of the last six. The Red Bulls have won three-consecutive matches for the second time this season.
New York previously took nine points from a three-game homestand against D.C., Columbus and Chicago in April.
"I think there’s momentum in our group right know, there’s confidence," Marsch said after training on Tuesday.
New York will face the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, before traveling to play Minnesota United FC for the first time on Saturday. The Red Bulls will return home to face Montreal Impact at Red Bull Arena on July 29.
Jesse Marsch talks momentum, confidence among #RBNY
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) July 18, 2017
📺 ➡️ https://t.co/FnZWqG3L1npic.twitter.com/65fbIq7tVl
"This is a big, little stretch," Sal Zizzo said on Tuesday. "We’ve got those three games, we’re sitting outside the playoff picture right now, and we’ve got the Open Cup."
The Red Bulls will learn their opponent for the semifinals of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup following Miami FC and FC Cincinnati's match on August 2.
The winner of that game determines the next possible date for the Open Cup semis. Should Miami FC advance, they would welcome the Red Bulls on Aug. 9. If FC Cincinnati prevails, however, they take on New York in the Queen City on Aug. 15.
"It’s a good stretch now," Tyler Adams said. "We can’t take it lightly. With our confidence that we have, we still have to play with urgency and the way that we play. We are a confident group right now."
Despite all the confidence, the head coach knows the team has to stay focused on each game ahead.
"We’ve got to be careful. We can’t get ahead of ourselves," Marsch said.
