HANOVER, N.J. – The New York Red Bulls' calling card the last three seasons under coach Jesse Marsch has been his team’s pressing style.
On Saturday (7:30 pm ET | ESPN+ - Full TV & streaming info) at Gillette Stadium, the Red Bulls will face a New England Revolution team that will go after them in a similar fashion.
It makes for an interesting chess match for Marsch and his squad.
Like the Red Bulls, Brad Friedel has the Revs swarming the midfield with numbers in his first year as their coach. The idea is to disrupt the other team’s build-up, pressing and counter-pressing with numbers, and get the field players into the opposing half to strangle their ability to pass out of their own end.
While Friedel’s press has some differences – he often likes to keep his back line deeper to handle counterattacks and the Revolution don’t press as high up the field as New York – it is a very similar mentality to what the Red Bulls try to do.
“They are a little bit of a mirror image of us. They like to press, they like to play in the other team’s end, they look to force mistakes and force turnovers – then capitalize on them,” Marsch said on Wednesday.
Marsch called Saturday night in Foxborough a looming “battle.”
This offseason, the Revolution made a number of changes to their squad. Friedel brought in younger players, many of whom have experience in Europe. He also made some difficult decisions, notably trading influential midfielderLee Nguyen to LAFC in early May.
The move to get faster and more athletic blends well with making their pressing style tick. The Red Bulls, too, have gotten younger the past two years under Marsch, with a good chunk of their starters under 25 years of age.
“Oh yeah, way more athletic. They’re stronger, faster, more athletic,” Marsch said. “And playing on the turf and that field, they’re dynamic. It’s a good team.”
