Red Bull New York captain Emil Forsberg knows that he and his teammates are capable of producing better results on the pitch.
Wednesday’s 3-1 U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 knockout defeat to arch rivals New York City FC was a deflating moment, but the 34-year-old midfielder knows that it’s a long season ahead.
Forsberg spoke ahead of Red Bull New York’s Saturday night match against FC Dallas, and he underlined that the Red Bulls must give everything on the pitch in the quest to create a winning environment.
Red Bull Captain Sets the Tone: ‘Play Like Our Lives Depend on It’
“Everybody has that feeling that when we do win games, that’s the best feeling in the world,” Forsberg said during Friday’s media availability. “We’ve got to chase that feeling all the time, not relax. Every game we have to play as our lives depend on it.”
The captain is calling on teammates and supporters to join together toward capturing that winning feeling and bringing memorable nights back to Sports Illustrated Stadium.
“We as a team come together, we push, we stay positive with the fans together – we go,” he stated.
Red Bulls Must Fix Defensive Mistakes
Red Bull New York enters the weekend in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a minus-nine goal differential. The Red Bulls cannot afford to replicate the defensive errors and set-piece mistakes that have persisted throughout the 2026 season.
“We played Dallas in the preseason, I remember that game quite well,” Forsberg recalled. “It’s a physical team, physical forwards, strong, fast, good in the box. It’s going to be a physical game for us. We’ve got to be ready for that.
“It’s a chance for us to prove ourselves that we take stuff in the right direction. We had a very hard loss on Wednesday, and tomorrow is a chance for us to get back up. We have to prove ourselves for ourselves and our fans to get those three points.”
Saturday Brings a Fresh Opportunity to Respond Against FC Dallas
Overall, Forsberg struck an optimistic tone but also appeared desperate to shift the club in the right direction. That will need to start against Dallas, who enters Saturday in eighth place in the Western Conference and possesses a plus-three goal differential.
“I feel that we are on the right path for sure,” Forsberg explained. “We have stuff we have to improve. We concede too much easy goals. I still feel that’s a topic that we have to improve, but we’re doing a lot of great things that are going in the right direction.
“There’s still a lot we need to improve to win games and to feel good winning games. So it’s been a little bit of a rollercoaster; it’s got to get better, we’ve got to do better, we’ve got to win games because that’s why we play.
“For me, it’s mixed feelings sometimes because you’re very frustrated. You want to win games and get those three points or go through in the cup, and you don’t do it. So it’s frustrating, but I still feel we’re doing a lot of good stuff and we need to focus on being connected and strong together.”
Saturday’s match at Sports Illustrated Stadium will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The match will be followed by a post-match ceremony where all-time club record goal-scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips will be inducted into Legends Row alongside Luis Robles, who was the first player to receive the honor.
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