Elias Manoel projects a better 2023 with the New York Red Bulls: “I’m training 200%”

Happy to continue with the New York Red Bulls for years to come, Elias Manoel spoke with Território MLS during his vacation in Brazil and revealed a funny situation that happened to him after his arrival in the USA this year

How do you evaluate your first months at New York Red Bulls? How was the adaptation to the club, main difficulties and relationship with other Brazilians and the league?

It’s been a good few months, I really liked the structure of the club and the city, it’s very beautiful here. Fortunately, I managed to get along very well with the team right away. The language was difficult, right? English is very different and I didn’t know much when I got there but I’m studying more and dedicating myself to this so I can also do a better job understand everything they’re saying. The league here is a little different from what we are used to in Brazil, there are two conferences, but since I already followed the MLS a little and I like the NBA, which is similar, I was able to adapt easily. My relationship with the other Brazilians (Luquinhas and Carlos Coronel) is great, I think that because I come from the same place, we understand each other better and get along very well.

The RBNY acquired your federative rights with Grêmio in this window. How do you face this opportunity to now have more time to show your work at the club?

It was a very discussed decision and I really liked it. I am very grateful to Grêmio for everything. I really enjoyed playing here, even though I only played 7 games because I arrived at the end of the season, but my adaptation was good and I know I have a lot more to do on the pitch. I’m sure that 2023 will be a great year for us and I’m training to get back to 200%.

The MLS has been attracting more and more young players and it was no different in your case. Did you recommend the league to more players in Brazil? Is soccer in the United States within what you expected?

MLS is a league that has grown a lot in recent years. Soccer is gaining more and more strength in the United States and I think it’s important that more young people arrive to add to the sport here. The team structures are great and it surprised me positively. It’s a competitive championship and we have great fans who support us a lot, to be honest it’s more than I expected.

Did you go through any funny situation when you arrived in the country?

When I arrived it was pretty funny. I went to the United States with the director of Bragantino because he had some things to deal there and he helped me a lot in the first week. But then he left and it was funny because I stayed at the hotel and didn’t speak any English. So whenever lunch or dinner time arrived, I kept thinking “how am I going to order food?”. So every day I had to go down to reception to look at the menu, but everything was in English and I could only read the word “salad”, which I immediately thought “must be salad”. I think I spent two weeks eating just salad and drinking water, because they were the only things I knew. Then my fiancée, Júlia, arrived and it was much easier, since she speaks very good English and started to help me, only then did I start eating meat.

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What was it like to play against New York City at the Yankee Stadium? You even scored in that classic, but the VAR ended up canceling the move.

Rivalry is rivalry, right? I learned since I was little that derbies like this are like a championship in their own. I think it was a well-played game and unfortunately my goal was disallowed. It was going to be my first in the league but it happens, I was lucky enough to score twice two games later, that’s what soccer is.

There is a possibility that New York Red Bulls will reach more than 55 games in the season adding all competitions (MLS + playoffs, US Open Cup and Leagues Cup). How do you prepare for a 2023 that can be quite physically demanding? In the case of the RBNY, do you think the club has a qualified group to face next year?

I’ve been training a lot now on these vacations. Of course I had a few days off, but I’m back with everything and I’ve been making an effort to come back as prepared as possible. I hope we can play all these games and be among the best and I know that to always be able to perform well, I need to be very well physically, so I’ve been working a lot for that. I prepare myself with the gym, training with the ball and physiotherapy sessions to complement and avoid any problems with injuries as much as possible. As for the squad, I’m sure it’s a very qualified group to compete until the end of all the championships we’re going to participate in.

(Cover: Twitter/New York Red Bulls)