New York Red Bulls field boss Jesse Marsch finally admits he and his squad could have performed better this past season.
What we recently heard on MSG Network was a refreshing sound of honesty. New York Red Bull Head Coach Jesse Marsch admitted to Shep Messing, the former New York Cosmos goaltender king, that he was a major reason why the program he installed in year one failed at its most crucial stage, the MLS playoffs, in year two.Especially after winning the Supporters Shield in 2015, Marsch expectations were high and, obviously, not met.
“I had really high hopes that going into the second season that this was going to be the year where we could really push it and really be champions,” Marsch reflected.
The first round loss to the Montreal Impact was a source of deep disappointment for Marsch, a 14-year veteran of the MLS wars, who is used to success more than failure, winning three MLS Cups and four U.S. Open Cups playing for D.C United and the Chicago Fire. Ironically, Marsch was the first coach in Montreal history.
“To come up short as we did in a series like Montreal, a team frankly I think we’re better than, I take a lot of responsibility for it. I look back and wonder what kind of things I could have done better.”
Jesse Marsch came to New York with a vision of what his second act would look like and between him and the players they entered 2016 with the idea of attaining the one thing this franchise lacked, a championship.
“We implemented how we were going to re-shape the identity and the direction of the club overall,” Marsch explained. “We ACcelerated the learning curve and the first year was fantastic. It said so much about the people inside that built the team and the club into what it was.”
But after finishing second overall this season, they looked at the season with a championship or bust attitude. But it was a let down for a franchise that has been snake-bitten with only a single final appearance in its entire 20-year history.
“We weren’t able to honor so much of what had been achieved in two years by ultimately winning the trophy,” Marsch pointed out.
That is how this team will be defined in the coming years. Are they cursed or are they ready to break the cycle of disappointment? That’ll be the major question moving forward.
