The New York Red Bulls are in the midst of a furious late-season surge, attempting to extend their streak of consecutive Audi MLS Cup Playoff appearances to 12 years, second only to the Seattle Sounders' 13 straight.
But manager Gerhard Struber, who's navigating his first full season in Major League Soccer, is raising the bar for 2022.
“We totally believe that we can still reach the playoffs. We can do it, despite significantly lowering the average age of our team and the new situation – and then we want to get as far as possible,” Struber told transfermarkt.us. "But what is more important to me is, what happens afterward, to achieve it all and play for trophies. That is the next step. When I look back at all our games and how close we were at times, then I think it is realistic to go for it next year.”
Struber said it will take a few more additions during the January transfer window, but the realistic ambition next year is to win the club’s first MLS Cup.
“The project here in New York is very interesting, and I have a very close and trusting relationship with my team,” Struber said. "I can certainly imagine staying for a long time to achieve our ambitious goal that we all have, to win the MLS Cup. We are dreaming about it. Next year we want to go on the offensive and win it. If we keep developing and make the right transfers in the next window, sign one or two good players, then we can be ambitious about winning the MLS Cup.”
The Red Bulls are among the hottest teams in MLS right now, extending their unbeaten run to seven matches with a 1-0 victory over New York City FC this past Sunday, the club’s third consecutive win.
They're currently tied with NYCFC on 40 points, one point below the Eastern Conference's playoff line with five matches remaining.
