Chat on the sidelines | Check-in with Omir Fernandez and Chris Armas

About the upcoming duel with former club New York Red Bulls

We’re looking forward to another home game. And we know we have to step up every time and be ready for what comes into our building. But most importantly, we have to keep our form and keep the momentum going. We’ve won five of the last six games, but that’s in the past. We have to reset and be ready for 100 minutes against a really good team that comes into our building. The first part is understanding the opponent and the second part is executing. So that’s what we’re working on.

Whether he approaches the game differently because of his past with the Red Bulls

No, it’s another game, but it’s a really important game. That’s how I approach every game. The fact that it’s the New York Red Bulls makes it very important that we understand, as always, that every opponent presents us with different challenges and offers us different opportunities. It’s very specific, they play very clearly. Probably because I’ve trained that philosophy where it’s very intense, it’s important to understand it. And assuming it’s not that hard to understand, why don’t more teams have success against it? Because you actually have to go out there and compete against it, which is not easy with that philosophy.

On Cole Bassett’s behavior after being dropped from the Olympic squad
Cole Bassett is one of the most impressive young professionals I know. His ability to commit to the games and practice gives all of us an extra chance to win games. I see him dealing with this, let’s call it adversity, this little hurdle along the way, but it’s his dream. He didn’t get named to the (Olympic) team. But he’s so impressive the way he performs. Just look at the last game, right? He came from one position, one goal, one assist, was part of the win, played great. Right back to work. He’s got great confidence and is so, so focused. No behavior change, just hungry like never before.

About the recent successes of young players and their influence on the game

We believe in the young players here, we don’t just say that. I often say it’s not just about young players, it’s got to be the right young players. I’ve come across a lot of lazy, arrogant, selfish young players as a player and a coach. We have the right young players who don’t let you down, who actually show they’re willing to run, who buy into the team, accept the tactics and take their role as a whole. To see Oliver – can you imagine – coming on as a substitute and scoring a set piece with a header? Of course he does. See (Michael Edwards) here in training, never making excuses, playing with the second team. He gives his best, takes the criticism when he comes back from there, gives a lot without getting much in return. And then – bang – he gets a start, steps in and does his job. He looked like a pro out there – aggressive, he fires up the fans. I’m not surprised but I’m happy for him. Then (Darren) Yapi with his first goal. The last few weeks it’s been ‘forget about goals, forget about scoring, give yourself physically to what the game needs. Run, chase, get back in the game.’ Imagine saying to a striker ‘don’t worry about scoring.’ And then, bang, he scores a really good goal. The young players getting chances gives us the confidence to keep rewarding them. That’s part of who we are, as a team and as a club. So it’s great to see us getting that reward.