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RBNY II TRAINING REPORT – FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 11
After training at RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center in Morris Township, N.J. on Friday, Head Coach Dominik Wohlert and fullback Connor Faello spoke with the media prior to New York’s MLS NEXT Pro regular season home match against FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday.
Audio of the full interview is attached here:
News and Notes
• Red Bull New York II (13-9-4, 44 pts.) hosts FC Cincinnati 2 (5-19-2, 19 pts.) at MSU Soccer Park on Sunday, September 13. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with coverage available on OneFootball and MLSNEXTPRO.com.
• New York sits in fifth in the Eastern Conference after suffering a 4-2 defeat against New York City FC II on Tuesday, September 8.
• This will be the third meeting between the two clubs this season. The Red Bulls have gone unbeaten against the Ohio side, including a 3-1 home victory on April 19.
• Fullback Connor Faello has recorded three assists this season.
Red Bull New York II Head Coach Dominik Wohlert
On winger Dennis Nelich and midfielder Sekou Kone making their MLS debuts…
Yeah, it was a fantastic feeling. After [Mijahir] Jiménez, now the second and the third player who were able to get minutes in MLS. It was a great feeling to see them coming to the field, like Dennis starting and Sekou coming in a difficult moment. But seeing them performing how they did makes me really proud because they showed personality and they were not scared. They were active, and I think that’s all you can ask in your debut. So, I’m really proud and really happy for the guys.
On the rise of defender Leo Dieujuste…
I think Leo did really well in the Academy. He also had some exposure already for training sessions with the first team and did well with these guys. For us, it was now a great opportunity to create his home base now for the second team, and he’s now full time with us. And what he showed the last two-three weeks with us in training was really promising.
On getting ready for the latter part of the season…
First of all, everyone knows the situation. We are in crunch time. It’s the most enjoyable part of the season. In the end, we always remind the guys that they worked the whole season to be in these final games, to play games where something is on the line, where there’s a little bit of pressure, even from the outside. And now, we are locked in on Cincinnati. We know exactly what we want to do. We want to go out. We want to express ourselves. We want to be dominant in another home game, and that’s the goal. That’s the main focus.
Red Bull New York II Fullback Connor Faello
On the lessons learned from the defeat at New York City FC II…
I feel like it’s definitely good that it happened now and not in the playoffs. I feel like from the beginning of the game, yeah, we went up 1-0, but we just lacked energy and commitment, and you can’t do that against your rivals. Before that, winning four games, the energy was good and everyone was into it. It just seemed like we weren’t locked in. I feel like it’s a good wake up call for us because with playoffs coming up and the last two games of the season, we have to stay locked in and give everything we have, no matter what.
On fellow fullback Aimar Modelo’s first career MLS NEXT Pro goal…
I feel like I was really happy to see him score, finally. He’s a great player, great person, so I was definitely happy for him. He deserves it completely. He’s always working hard, so he definitely earned that goal.
On the sense of urgency to improve place in the standings…
I feel that training today was so much better, energy-wise. I feel like everyone was locked in. We just have to push and fight in these last two games. Obviously, we need two big results. I think it’s really important we are doing the right things in training; we are taking it day-by-day. It would be huge to get in that third or fourth spot because we obviously want to be home. To do that, we need to win both games. So, we need to stay locked in and bring energy, and when we do that, I feel like in these two games, we will get the results that we want. And, hopefully, that will lead to a home playoff game.
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