NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 28, 2025

Sandro Schwarz

Press Conference

New York Red Bulls 2, Minnesota 2

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about what you told the refs after the match?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: I wanted to tell them that was a great performance. It was such a great performance for the stoppage time. It was such a great performance from the penalty situation.

It's not allowed to criticize the referee. So when I say, I want to say, great performance of him. It was -- I have never seen this before. So it was great.

Q. Just about the performance, 2-2 draw, nervy game, Minnesota has found a lot of success this season with that low block, very compact defending, and they gave the Red Bulls trouble but found a way to get the draw. Overall, your thoughts?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: It's so tough to play against Minnesota, and we have seen this in a lot of games before. When we analyze Minnesota, they are defending with a lot of legs, and so mid-block, low block, I would say the first 10, 15 minutes was great. And then after this injury from the goalkeeper, then we lost the control in the first half, at least 20, 25, 30 minutes.

But the second half was really, really good. A lot of situations, very dominant, every time when the center is close, to go to the side, a lot of cross situations, penalty situation.

So a lot of moments and I'm very happy about -- that we didn't lose this game, to be honest, against the opponent and against more other guys today.

Q. There seemed to be no quit in your team today, you had the lead, lost the lead, came back, tied it up at the end. How gratifying is it, the no-die attitude throughout?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, that was great. Great effort from the whole group, especially the second half. So it's not so easy, especially against Minnesota.

And with the second question, they are very good in transition moments, and you have always top find the right moments when you attack, and that was good. That was really, really good of the whole team and I'm really proud and I'm happy that we scored and that we didn't lose this game.

Q. When you score first and the team loses their first goalkeeper, one would think you are in the driving seat but before you know it, you are at 2-1 down. Where do you think your team didn't get it right? And my other question is about one of your backroom staff, Ibrahim Sekagya. For the time you've been working with him, how has he been helpful to the team?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, he's very helpful but he was also last season our assistant coach and also then together as a head coach on the second team. He's a great person, a great coach, and it's good to have him now very close, only that he has the responsibility now as assistant coach in the first team. So that's top. And I'm very happy with him, with the whole coaching staff.

Yeah, what I said, we lost, and after this injury, the control, we were not active enough, not intensive enough against the ball. The situation, second goal, the throw-in, second phase, then after the throw ins was unlucky, and this is the situation which we talked before the game with set pieces, transitions.

But the second half, so dominant and to keep the pressure high, also from the mental side, that's not so easy with all these moments; and all these emotional moments, especially, in the second half, this was really, really good.

I'm happy that we can collect this one point, and now we are on the road and we have to show the same face, especially like the second half of the game today, and our first 10, 15 minutes from the first half.

Q. The last game of Felipe Carballo, if the choice depends on you, you would love to keep him for the rest of the season?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: I learn sometimes it's not important what the coach wants, you know. But it was really -- and also, the other side, so Felipe, great, and I said this directly in our locker room after the game. Great character, very, very professional as a player.

So before the training session in his preparation after the training session, so that's the situation. Very good conversations, very open conversation, clear situation now, and so now he's leaving, and we are fighting for the next points.

And I wish him all, all, all the best because he's deserving everything.

Q. We know that you'll be suspended in San Jose next week and it will be the second game in a few weeks that you'll be suspended. Do you feel any responsibility to your players at all to not be suspended or are you happy with the way that you stood up for your players at the end of the game?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: I know now I have the red card. It's not good that I'm not on the touch line. But it's not so easy, to be honest, when you are a little bit emotional, it's not so easy then to handle the emotions when you see a lot of things.

For me, it's not the problem, to be honest. For me, it's not the problem that someone is doing a mistake. I am doing a lot of mistakes. That's not a problem. And then you can criticize me because I have -- this is my responsibility for the whole group to getting the results for the whole organization.

If I don't take the results with my group, you can criticize me. It's no problem. It's no problem. When the players, not doing very well, then I criticize our players.

But in that game, it has also to be allowed to criticize sometimes the referee when they are not doing a good performance, and I'm talking about four minutes. Normally I don't want to talk about it. But I have to talk. It's not possible to say nothing. It's not possible when my son is doing something; I have, also, to say something.

Four minutes' stoppage time. After four minutes, before they got the corner, it was not a foul. It was not a foul from Emil. Then they got the set pieces, the corner, after four minutes. So we solved the situation.

After that, second phase, clear chance, clear chance of Minnesota, we solved the situation. And then we have transition, and then we stop it. Come on, guys. This is -- how can you say nothing about -- how can you? This is not possible when you are fighting for the group and you are fighting? It's not possible to say nothing. This is not possible. So -- and this is what we have to do and also what we have to learn is to ask someone about the performance of the referee. Because this is normal. This is professional.

When someone is not good, then we have to say something. This is normal. I don't criticize someone in person. But of his job, I have also to do my job. And it's not good. For sure, it is not good. The red card is not good then because I have the responsibility for the group. I am not on the touching line next Saturday.

But it's not possible to say nothing. I can't do that. Sorry for that. Sorry. And I will get an e-mail on Monday, I'm pretty sure. I have to answer. Okay. I will do that. And then I miss hopefully only one game because I said nothing.

I said nothing to the referee when I got the red card. I was very quick. I was very fast. I was also surprised that I am so fast to be honest (laughter).

But I said nothing. I said nothing. And directly, red card. No, no, come on. When I am doing a big, big mistake, I am the first one to say sorry for my behavior, for everything. But in that case, I can't say it. I can't say it. Sorry, no, I answer a lot about that.

Q. I will ask you a good question. Eric Choupo-Moting gets you the big equalizer to keep the point. How happy have you been with his performance since coming to the club?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, I'm very happy. He's such a great character. How he's leading with his character, the team, and he shows every weekend in his age, every weekend, try to play the highest intensity. And he's scoring goals in an important way for us.

So it's great to see him every day in our facility, and yeah, great person. Great character. Great player and very, very important for us.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the importance of your leaders like Choupo, like Emil Forsberg, coming back and delivering that draw, as well as the complexities of Minnesota with the deep block and how that may have affected the game plan on the night?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: What I said with Choupo, I can repeat that; I can say the same words about Emil. Great, great character. Great leader as a captain for the whole team. He feels a responsibility every day for the whole group, which is great.

And yeah, it's important. It's important when you are playing so dominant, especially the second half, that you get minimum one point. And when you are losing this game, it's really sh-t.

But it's a really good development. It's a really good development about our buildup, about our clear direction to the goal when the opponent is staying deep, and I'm very proud of the guys.