Gerhard Struber on what's going wrong at New York Red Bulls

The Eastern Conference standings make for some surprising reading through the first third of the 2023 MLS Season and things look rather for the struggling New York Red Bulls.

Sitting bottom of the table with nine points (1W, 6D, 4L), the Red Bulls’ disappointment comes from a myriad of angles fractured through the prism of possibility. Their six draws have felt like losses and their 'biggest' defeat thus far this season was the April 22nd, 2–0 defeat to Montreal.

They’ve let 11 in and have scored a measly seven goals.

“The frustration is right now on an outstanding high level – 10 for 10, I would say,” said head coach Gerhard Struber on Saturday night at the Red Bull Arena after a 1–0 loss to the Union.

“Not only for me, but also my boys. Again, we can see, we missed a lot in this game. Not ready in the moments when we get the chance, and one time very, very unlucky with a penalty. Yeah, that's very questionable in my eyes. We are in a special time, tough time. It's very, very difficult.”

The penalty, a 26th minute infraction awarded after Dylan Nealis’ trailing arm brought Julian Carranza down in the box (with a bit of theatrical assistance from the young Argentinian striker), was banged in by Dániel Gazdag.

Regardless of the penalty that can be argued as a bit of bad luck, Struber commented on the Red Bulls’ inability to generate and bring attacks to fruition.

“The table never lies and the reality is we are in the last place in the table, and we make not everything right, especially the results at the moment are very, very bad,” said the Austrian who signed on as gaffer in 2020. “

Of course we keep fighting and we keep going. This is clear, this is crystal clear. But a loss like that is hard at the moment; that you can be on a good level. I think the frustration, the disappointment is proof.”

Adding to their adversity? A substantial list of injured and suspended players including DPs Luquinhas and Dante Vanzeir, winger Lewis Morgan, midfielder Frankie Amaya, and center back Matthew Nocita, among others.

The next matches will prove crucial for the team’s spirits and future as they’ll host neighborhood rivals NYCFC next Saturday and a Tuesday night U.S. Open Cup match against Conference rivals D.C. United.

But even Nealis – his complicity in the latest batch of bad luck aside – knows there is time to make things right.

“It's still pretty early in the season and a couple of wins and you're right back in the playoff race,” he said. “That's MLS and we're going to get better.”