WHIPPANY, N.J. – Aurelien Collin completed his transition to the New York Red Bulls by putting in 90 minutes against his previous team, Orlando City SC, in last Friday's 1-1 draw.
Collin helped the Red Bulls secure a road point and is expected to start for RBNY on Friday evening against rivals D.C. United (7 pm ET; UniMás). The gauntlet of games is a demanding welcome for Collin, but the center back is glad a team is asking a lot from him once again.
“Sometimes, we have our role. In Orlando, I didn’t play in [recent] matches but it was still important that I put on a great face, a happy face and was very professional,” said Collin. “It’s always better to play, but if you don’t play, you can’t change the way you live. Live happy and professionally, and keep working every day. At the end of the day, it’s the decision of the coach. Right now, I’m happy I’m in the starting 11 and I make sure that I work every day to stay in it.”
Collin was a key part of Orlando City’s inaugural squad but fell down the depth chart this season, as Seb Hines earned a starting spot during preseason and the Lions gave US U-20 international Tommy Redding more playing time for his development. That left Collin as the odd man out.
The Frenchman has played more than 2,000 minutes in each of the past four MLS seasons. Before joining Orlando, he was a two-time MLS All-Star and an MLS Cup winner with Sporting Kansas City.
Collin's time under Sporting head coach Peter Vermes makes him well-suited for the Red Bulls, head coach Jesse Marsch said.
“[Sporting is] not exactly the same as we are,” said Marsch, “but the tempo at which Sporting play, the way they play up the field and in the other team’s half means Aurelien has experience in similar situations to what it’s like to be here.”
Collin has been with the Red Bulls for two weeks, during which time Marsch said the technical staff is trying to “fine tune” his skill set to meet their tactics. As they worked on their pressing techniques for Friday's clash with D.C. United, Collin’s center-back partner and countryman Ronald Zubar showed him where he needed to be on the field.
“Ronald has a lot of experience, he’s French, so we understand each other,” Collin said. “We are the same kind of player. It’s amazing to be on his side.”
After a 1-6-0 start, the Red Bulls still have a ways to go to complete their turnaround. A three-game unbeaten run has nudged them above the red line, but they still have four in-conference matches left in May. Marsch hopes Collin’s experience can play a role in helping New York forget about their rough start.
“He’s fit in well,” Marsch said. “He has great competitive energy and great confidence he brings to the field. He brings so much of his competitive will to the team and it helps raise the overall level of that. I think he’s going to get better and better, but the first performance was really good.”
