Those hoping to see New York Red Bulls debuts for newcomers Samuel Tetteh and Dru Yearwood in Thursday’s rivalry match against NYCFC will have to wait (7 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; on DAZN in Canada).
Head coach Chris Armas said Tetteh is “arriving any day now,” while Yearwood is “just slightly behind” due to the visa process. Given health and safety precautions around the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s also a quarantine period before they’re fully integrated.
“They will be out at our training field and we will be able to work with those players on some level and get them ready — physically ready, style of play ready, with conversation, with even Zoom calls just to transfer information,” Armas said. “We've been in touch with the players, but it's right there. In the next few weeks we will have them ready to go is the plan.”
When the Secondary Transfer Window additions are available, Tetteh should lift an offense that’s searching for second gear after club legend Bradley Wright-Phillips departed this past offseason for LAFC. Influential playmakers like Daniel Royer and Kaku remain, though the cutting edge has sometimes been absent. The Ghanaian forward, who’s on loan from sister club RB Salzburg, should provide another dynamic.
As for Yearwood, Armas described him as an aggressive, ball-winning holding midfielder who can also get forward. He arrives from Brentford as a Young Designated Player, with that label inherently accompanied by expectations. Even still, Armas is waiting to see how the skill set will translate to MLS, specifically their high-press ethos.
“We have to see how that fits into our group and the speed of play of Major League Soccer and the speed of play of our team and our style of play, and I think that it’s not common all the time,” Armas said. “And we see players that come into our team, that as talented as they are, sometimes it takes a little bit of time. But we see that his quality will fit nicely with our group and we will push him the right way and get him ready as soon as possible and fast track that process and use him the right way.”
Additions aside, the Red Bulls are also seeking a bounce-back result against NYCFC. They were one of eight clubs not to reach the Round of 16 at the MLS is Back Tournament, fading after an early 1-0 win over Atlanta United.
Armas said his coaching staff was blunt with RBNY players about where things went wrong, and they didn’t sugarcoat their disappointment. The margins of error are thin, Armas said, and there’s also a reminder that their 2-2-1 record is decent early on.
“We’re five games in, if you win the next game fellas, you might find yourself in second or third place,” Armas said. “So, what's so wrong? To answer the question simply, it’s doses of reality, we take a hard look and we get back to work."
