New York Red Bulls coach Sandro Schwarz is demanding defensive improvements against Sporting Kansas City after seeing his team's three-month unbeaten run in MLS snapped.
The Red Bulls suffered their first loss since June 8 – when they were beaten 1-0 by the New England Revolution – last week as they went down 2-0 at home to the Philadelphia Union.
The result left the Red Bulls fourth in the Eastern Conference standings but with just a five-point advantage over the teams currently occupying the wild-card spots.
With every point of utmost importance during the run-in, Schwarz wants his team to rediscover their solidity on Saturday.
"We didn't have the best few days after the Philly game, we analysed this and it's very clear we have to improve our defence, especially against Kansas City," Schwarz said.
"It's also necessary that when you lose a game, you change a little bit the atmosphere and now we are looking forward to the game.
"We should see some more players integrated towards the end of the season and the performances every day on the training field will be important, but matchday is when you have to show your quality."
Sporting KC, meanwhile, beat Indy Eleven in the U.S. Open Cup semi-finals last time out, having also beaten Orlando City 3-0 in their last MLS game to keep their own slim playoff hopes alive.
Coach Peter Vermes was glad to have a breather last weekend and expects his team to be reenergised for their trip to Red Bull Arena.
"The week has been good. Having the break after two games in a row was actually really healthy for us," Vermes said.
"I think for the team, having some of the days off has kept the guys hungry and they're ready to go and play a big game. It's been good."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New York Red Bulls – Lewis Morgan
As well as leading all his team-mates in the goalscoring charts with 12 strikes in 23 regular-season games this year, Morgan has been a real creative force for the Red Bulls.
Only John Tolkin has matched his 38 chances created for the team in MLS play this season.
Sporting Kansas City – Tim Melia
Sporting have kept clean sheets in back-to-back matches across all competitions, and veteran goalkeeper Melia will be desperate to remain unbeaten again here.
This is the first time they have gone consecutive matches without conceding a goal in all competitions since March 2023, while they last did so in three straight back in 2020.
MATCH PREDICTION – NEW YORK RED BULLS WIN
After meeting nine times in all competitions between 2012 and 2014, Sporting and the Red Bulls have played just eight times in the 10 seasons since Kansas City moved to the Western Conference. Sporting have won four of those eight meetings (two draws, two losses).
They approach Saturday's game in good form, too, winning six of their last 10 matches (one draw, three losses) after only winning six of their first 24 to start 2024 (five draws, 13 losses).
The Red Bulls saw their 11-match unbeaten run in MLS ended by last week's defeat to the Union, having also previously gone 17 home games without defeat – the longest such run in their history. Can they get back to winning ways on Saturday?
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New York Red Bulls – 58.3%
Sporting Kansas City – 20%
Draw – 21.7%
De Jong insists confidence will improve following Netherlands return
Frenkie de Jong believes his confidence will improve with more playing time after returning to the Netherlands starting line-up for the first time in over a year.
De Jong received widespread praise for his return to the national side in their 4-0 victory over Hungary as they confirmed a Nations League quarter-final spot on Saturday.
The midfielder returned for Barcelona in October after a six-month absence due to an ankle injury, while his last appearance for the Dutch national team came against the Republic of Ireland in September 2023.
He missed 18 matches for the Netherlands during that period, including their Euro 2024 campaign in which they reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by England.
Against Hungary, De Jong played 68 minutes and made more passes in the final third than anyone else on the pitch (31), while he also made 12 final third entries, the second-most behind team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke (17).
"I still need some time to really get into top form", said De Jong. "After an injury, I usually felt I would get back into form quickly, now after this injury that is really different.
"I need to gain back my confidence in doing certain things on the pitch. I knew it would be this way and so people are not worried. It should improve from now onwards.
"I'm happy to be back! I need games, I need rhythm, and then my good form will return. I will not start the next game, but I will stay with the national team."
Ronald Koeman was also delighted with the influence De Jong had on the side after such a long absence and is confident he can help the team going forward.
"You saw his qualities in a number of moments", said Koeman. "He helped us to create a lot more chances."
Van Dijk hails Hungary 'strength' for playing on after coach collapse
Virgil van Dijk saluted Hungary for playing on after assistant coach Adam Szalai appeared to suffer a fit during their Nations League clash.
Play was suspended for 13 minutes at the Johan Cruijff ArenA while Szalai was treated pitchside, with staff and substitutes forming a protective barrier around him.
The 36-year-old was taken to Amsterdam Hospital, where he later revealed he was "doing well" on his social media channels.
Although Hungary agreed to play on, the Netherlands ran out comfortable 4-0 winners to book their place in the Nations League quarter-finals.
Wout Weghorst and Cody Gakpo were on target from the penalty spot during the first half, while goals from Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners after the break saw the Oranje secure second place in Group A3.
And Van Dijk paid tribute to his side's opponents.
"That was quite a shock, of course," he told NOS. "You see someone lying down, you see someone shaking. That is quite scary. But thankfully, at a certain point, it became clear that he was stable. I hope he is doing well and that he recovers quickly.
"They had to decide whether they wanted to continue playing. I think it shows a lot of strength that they did carry on. I have a lot of respect for that."
On his side's performance, Van Dijk added: "The pitch was very fast, but that's no excuse. It was sloppy.
"In the end, we won deservedly and that's the most important thing. We go to the quarter-finals, we win, we keep a clean sheet."
Nagelsmann impressed after biggest win of Germany tenure
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann was impressed by his team after they inflicted a heavy 7-0 defeat on Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Nations League.
The thumping win in Freiburg secured top spot for the Germans in Group A3, with Nagelsmann's side now five points clear of second-placed Netherlands with one game to go.
Florian Wirtz and Tim Kleindienst netted two each, while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane were also on target in the victory that was Germany's biggest win since Nagelsmann took charge in September 2023.
The former Bayern Munich manager, who replaced Hansi Flick, failed to take hosts Germany past the quarter-finals in the summer's Euros, but his side now have a chance of securing their first silverware under the 37-year-old.
"We have no injuries from the game and our counter-pressing was extraordinarily good," Nagelsmann said after the game.
"And then to score seven goals against an opponent sitting so deep is something.
"We wanted to win possession and then quickly play the ball forward, be quick in transition and find those runs, something we did not do often enough at the Euros [in June]. We did it well," he said.
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