Soccer: Struber takes off in New York

In contrast to preparation, the coronavirus pandemic will not cause any problems, as all players and the coaching team have already been vaccinated. “That makes everything easier, especially since things kept getting stuck in preparation due to the corona,” said Struber of the APA.

The conditions at the training camp in Florida were fantastic, but due to coronavirus cases, only two of the six planned test games were held. This is one of the reasons why the 44-year-old who came from the English second division Barnsley in October 2020 does not put great pressure on his team from the start.

“A lot of things are going in the right direction, and progress can be seen. But we are only at the starting point for certain tactical aspects. The development of the team will be the focus in the coming weeks and months, ”said Struber. Above all, the “Red Bull identity” should be clearly recognizable. “High intensity and pressing are the most important keywords. We are working on that. “

Lots of staff related to Austria

“The guys have a lot of power and show a huge willingness to learn something new every day. It’s a lot of fun to work with the individual players and to continuously form the team into a functioning unit, ”said the former WAC coach. With the 39-time MLS regular season goalscorer Daniel Royer, a 30-year-old ex-Austrian is one of the top performers.

With goalkeeper Carlos Coronel and cruciate ligament injured midfielder Youba Diarra, who are on loan from Salzburg, two other players have ties to the Austrian Bundesliga. There were no major transfers in winter, mainly young people were brought in. They are looking forward to the start on Saturday in the Red Bull Arena against Sporting Kansas City – also because 3,000 spectators are allowed.

“We are really looking forward to the season opener – all the more because there will be fans in our stadium again. That at least partially creates the atmosphere we all want, ”said Struber. The game should end more successfully than the one on November 21, when they lost 3-2 against the eventual champions Columbus Crew. The home season opener statistics are very encouraging. So far there have been seven wins, two draws and one defeat. In the Red Bull Arena you have never lost with four successes and one draw.

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