NEW YORK RED BULLS MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 10, 2025

Sandro Schwarz

Press Conference

New York Red Bulls 2, Real Salt Lake 1

Q. This is not a question about referees at all, but the situation at the end of that game, have you ever in your experience seen something like that before and just the chaos in it? And how did you keep your team focused after all the interaction?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, I think it was the main part today, to keep the focus in each situation and especially when you concede the first goal, after some minutes, and then I would say we controlled after ten, 15, 20 minutes, the game.

But the energy was not so good the first half. We had some chances, of course. It was okay from our structure but the body language, the energy, that was not so good in the first half.

And then, yeah, halftime is sometimes good to keep the group together. And second half was much much better, not only from the tactical point, it's more from the energy; the first step, last time, every time to believe in your quality, and to believe if you're doing mistake, no problem, to believe and support each other. Yeah, that's no problem.

At the end, it was a little bit the situation for us but I think it is a penalty at the end to be honest. It was not off side. I think it was really good, the second penalty, of Choupo after he missed the first penalty but it's okay.

And this is what we have to continue to believe. And we were 2-0 down against New England, come back; 1-0 down today, and that was good. Good behavior, good mentality, which is not so easy today to play on this pitch to be honest. This is when we have a home game, it has to be a big advantage for us.

But it's not possible to play on this pitch very well very clean, and this is what we have to learn, everyone here. When we want to be successful, very professional then we need a hundred percent better pitch, for the opponent, for us, for everything. This was not good today.

Q. How does a team decide who takes penalties?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, it's clear. At the beginning of the season, it's clear it's Emil and Choupo, and Choupo took the first penalty, he missed, and then he has the confidence, and also to believe in himself, and then to took the second penalty.

So that's clear for us that Choupo or Emil is taking the penalty.

Q. You guys conceded that goal in the third minute. How much did that early goal kind of change things for you, especially after Real Salt Lake bunkered in for that first half?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, I would say, of course, it's difficult when you concede at the beginning a goal. You want to start very well with the whole energy, with the whole intensity, and then you concede a goal where we are not compact enough in our pressing, and Luna takes the ball in between the lines, turned, and this great deep ball, it's not good. So at the beginning, but then we tried after ten, 15 minutes, I would say.

And then on point, with this pitch, it's more difficult. This is what everyone has to understand. It's more difficult than when you have a home game, and to be honest, I'm here now, one and a half year (years), and we had one of the best pitches in the League. But now it's worst. I'm sorry to say that.

But when you want to play and when you are 1-0 down, of course you want to control the game. You have to play dominant. You have to play quick against a deep opponent but then you need a better pitch.

But what I can say? The reaction, the mentality, the energy, the body language, that was top, second half. This is what we need. We have seen the best examples always, New England, what I said, 1-0 down, 2-0 down today, and this is what we have to continue with our energy level, our intensity level. But we need a better pitch outside.

Q. Although you got the win in a very tough game that you had to have, but I get the sense that you're not quite satisfied because of the pitch. Is it because the team fell behind three minutes, that you had to fight back for it, or is it all of the above?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: No, I'm very proud of the guys. But I'm not only here to analyze only the result 2-1, so we did that, okay, I would be so happy and okay, everything is great today.

We have to learn a lot from this game. But when we had the energy level, the intensity, the whole time, but it's not so easy to be honest when you are 1-0 down, it's not so easy, then you need normally two touches, then you need four touches. Then, of course, it's also human a little bit then, the heads go down.

And the reaction, and this is what we said very -- in a very emotional way in this halftime today, it was not done from tactical point some things. It was more very emotional, and the reaction was great. And for me with the first half it was also very dominant, but not with this intensity that we always believe in the situation. This is what we have seen the second half, and that's good.

I am so proud of the guys. I am so proud of the guys. And it's important to win this game, not of the table. That's the end result, end of the season. It's more to continue every time. So we have seen these three Leagues Cup game, our quality. We have seen this today most of the time, and this is what we have to continue. And tomorrow, training. Tuesday, training. Wednesday, to prepare for the U.S. Open Cup game.

Q. Hackie gets a yellow card in the second half and you go to Tim Parker in the second half, and he was excellent in the final match against Juárez in Leagues Cup and in this 45. What have you seen from him in training and in these matches?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, great leader, and he has also the energy. And also when he is not playing, he's coming in the morning in the facility, one of the first guys in the facility, very, very professional and always supporting the whole group, that's great.

And you can see it when the moment is coming, then he's ready. And we have seen this in Leagues Cup. And today, we didn't want to take the risk with Hack with his yellow card. And it was top; Tim was top with his energy, with his body language, with his coaching. That was really good.

Q. Your team had 24 shots today. How do you think your team could become more clinical in terms of turning more of those chances in goals? Obviously you're being very dangerous in and around the box. But how do you convert more of those?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: I protect the guys. 24 shots, first of all, I see the positive way, that's good. We need a better pitch. That's it. We need a better pitch and then I'm pretty sure they can score.

When you see the first chance from Emil on the penalty spot, I'm pretty sure when he's not thinking too much about what happened with the ball, he will score with his quality, a hundred percent. I protect the guys 24 shots. Great, great.

Before we start talking about that, this is my responsibility in every training session to improve these guys, no problem. But before we start talking after 24 shots, better pitch outside.

Q. You mentioned last game that Carlos had a bit of a knee issue.

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah.

Q. Any update on that and if it's serious or not? I know he's on the bench today but any update on that?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Yeah, he trained in the last days. Midweek he was out for two training session and then A.J. did it very well in Leagues Cup games, both Leagues Cup games, and so that then was for us not an argument directly to change again.

And so you can see with performance of A.J., and that's good for the whole team and how he's also able to build up and also to push the guys, and now his behavior from Carlos, last two three days, was good. Good reaction on the bench. This is what we need when we want to look forward for the whole group.

Q. If you had not scored that goal late on, it would have been one win in nine games in the League since May. How much does the winning goal change the mentality and change the focus --

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Thank you that you are telling me that, these numbers. But we want whatever -- this is not -- we won this game --

Q. No, no, but --

SANDRO SCHWARZ: So, yeah, I know what can I say now? My feeling is we won.

Q. Okay.

SANDRO SCHWARZ: So I can't answer now, ok, what happened when we play 1-1, then only one -- we won. We won in Leagues Cup. So we won this game.

So we have to continue, that's clear, to go step-by-step, and that's it.

Q. Since you keep bringing up the pitch, has the team or anybody mentioned when they are going to be fixing the pitch?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: Sorry?

Q. Has anybody gotten in touch with you when they are going to be fixing the field conditions?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: I hope so. And I don't expect -- to be honest, I don't expect the best pitch. This is not what -- but our culture is to do everything, to try everything. This is only what I want to see. That's the only thing what I want to see.

I don't expect that we have at four, five on Saturday when we are playing against Philly a best pitch. It's not possible. It's no problem. But to try every day that we have the best, the best pitch. Look, that we try to have the best pitch. That's it, what I want to see. So we will see what happens.

Q. A lot of fans are becoming curious with Carmona getting starts, some of his play. What have you seen from him this season, his development? You seem to be trusting him more and more to get those starts, so what are you seeing from his progression over time?

SANDRO SCHWARZ: I trust him again. I trust him again, again, again. This is my responsibility because he's a young player and it's normal that it's not always directly to make the next step to make the next step, of course it's very tough sometimes to have a period like this but we have seen so many good games of Wiki Carmona, so many good games; that he's so aggressive; that he's working so hard for the group.

And of course, we want to see him in a better output in the final third, I agree a hundred percent. But what we have to do is protect these guy, every time there's a young group, a very young group, and Wiki Carmona is a very important part in our group.