Nick Cushing believes his players are well aware of the importance of Saturday’s Hudson River Derby.
New York City FC host the Red Bulls at Citi Field on Saturday night with both teams eager to cement their position in the top four of the Eastern Conference.
Both teams enter the game searching for a third successive win in MLS, and with points and local bragging rights also on offer, Cushing knows his players are aware of the game’s importance.
“There has been a lot of enjoyment in there to being a bit more focused today because the game is right around the corner,” Cushing said of the mood in the camp.
“The guys have a huge desire to continue to win, to continue this form, and they obviously know the magnitude of the game right – it’s a Hudson River Derby.
“Those guys that haven’t been in the team have a huge desire [to be involved]. They went out yesterday and trained incredibly well and are pushing for starts.
“The biggest problem I have right now is picking the team because we've done a rotation and we continued to win with both sets of players.
“The focus is there and we have a huge desire to win.
The game will also be the first meeting between Cushing and his opposite number Sandro Schwarz.
The German coach joined the Red Bulls in December last after spells in the Bundesliga and the Russian Premier League and will now experience his first Hudson River Derby on Saturday.
Speaking on Schwarz's arrival in the league Cushing confirmed that his staff have applied their typical diligent analysis process when preparing to face Schwarz and the Red Bulls.
“We scout everybody, we look at them in-depth and prepare based on the data, based on the video, then come together as a coaching staff and we’ll go through it thoroughly,” he explained.
“I agree, they’re different, but it’s a different coach, and different coaches have different ideas. They’ve got good results and they’re in form.
“I think they have a very similar model in the sense that they’re a very good counter-attacking team. They score a lot of goals via counterattacks, but I agree they play a little bit more and have the ball [under Schwarz].
“I think there are huge opportunities for us because I think we've improved as a pressing team this year.
“We are prepared for a difficult game but we have to make sure that we play our best football. The nature of the league means it's super competitive so you have to be prepared.
“We’re at home though so we want to make sure we entertain the fans and do right by them.”
