New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz (Photo courtesy of RBNY)
HARRISON, N.J. — Sandro Schwarz needed to get a better idea of what to expect in Major League Soccer after being brought on as New York Red Bulls head coach in December, so he called two as good authorities as there could be.
“I had two great conversations with [United States Men’s National Team head coach] Gregg Berhalter to get the feeling, and also then [former Red Bulls, RB Leipzig, and Leeds United head coach] Jesse Marsch,” Schwarz said. “For me, it’s very important that I have this information before I start working here in MLS. I don’t have this experience with my first game on the touchline, but I’m looking forward to the first game.”
The 45-year-old Schwarz doesn’t have much experience with MLS. He’s only watched and attended a handful of games over the years having done most of his coaching in Germany. He most recently coached Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, which was relegated to Germany’s second tier in 2022-23 — his only season with the club.
Now he’s attempting to take the Red Bulls to the next level while learning a new league on the fly. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s trying to strengthen what is known as the “Red Bull Way,” — a high-octane, pressing style of soccer — considering his core values.
“Sandro is a coach who brings a lot of energy with him,” Red Bulls head of sport Jochen Schneider said. “He’s a great leader… his style of play fits perfectly with our style of play so it’s a perfect match… He’s able to build a team and he’s able to develop young players. And that’s why we decided to bring Sandro to the New York Red Bulls.”
Intensity has been the name of the game through Schwarz’s first few weeks as head coach. It’s something that he views as the great equalizer to level the playing field for a roster that is still very young and didn’t do much outside the blockbuster signing of Swedish…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply