Ahead of their Leagues Cup encounter, Lesesne spoke highly of Jim Curtin’s qualities and praised his abilities as a coach.
Troy Lesesne took over the New York Red Bulls on May 8th after a series of disappointing results in the MLS regular season that costed Gerhard Struber’s place at the helm of the club.
17 matches later, Troy Lesesne finds himself with nine wins, two draws and six losses. Under him, the Red Bulls scored 27 goals and allowed 24 across all competitions.
The 39-year old head coach is in his first MLS head coaching position. Previously, Lesesne was the responsible for the USL’s New Mexico United during a spam of three years and accomplished a record of 39 wins, 29 draws and 24 losses. At the then newly created expansion team in the USL, Troy took them for a two playoff appearances and was named the “Co-Coach of the Year” in 2020.
Now, obviously, the bar is higher in the MLS and Lesesne will have the opportunity to try to defeat one of the best American coaches in the United States: Jim Curtin.
The Oreland, Pennsylvania native played a pivotal role in the impressive rise of the Philadelphia Union soccer team. Under Curtin’s leadership, the Union reached the US Open Cup final in 2014. However, the club faced a challenging loss at home to the Seattle Sounders, who were led on the field by the talented Clint Dempsey.
In a more recent event, during the 2022 MLS Cup final, Philadelphia Union faced a heartbreaking loss to Los Angeles FC. LAFC, a team known for its high spending and star-studded roster, featured players like Giorgio Chiellini and Carlos Vela. In that match, the now former LAFC attacker, Gareth Bale, scored the game-tying goal, which took the final into penalty kicks. Ultimately, LAFC emerged victorious, securing their first MLS Cup silverware.
This Tuesday (8), the New York Red Bulls will attempt to break a streak of winless matches against Philadelphia at Subaru Park, a drought that dates back to the 2018 MLS regular season. Following a 1-0 loss, the two teams have clashed six times on Union’s home ground, resulting in five defeats for the Red Bulls and one draw.
This will be the second encounter between these two clubs in 2023. In May, Philadelphia emerged victorious with a 1-0 at the Red Bull Arena. This outcome led to significant changes for the Red Bulls, as they decided to replace their head coach, Gerhard Struber, who departed from New Jersey. Assistant coach Troy Lesesne assumed control of the club, mirroring a scenario reminiscent of Jim Curtin’s appointment as the head coach of the Union back in 2014.
GALLERY: New York Red Bulls 1 – 0 New York City – Leagues Cup 2023
In his recent pre-match press conference, Lesesne repeatedly emphasized the word “respect” when talking about the Union. He also expressed his admiration for Jim Curtin’s exceptional leadership skills, which have consistently propelled the low-profile Philadelphia Union to be regarded as strong contenders in all domestic competitions across the US.
“My observations are that he’s a very strong leader. Typically very calm and he’s able to give good information to his group that they can go and execute”, started Lesesne.
“So it’s not easy to stay in a position for as long as he stayed at the helm for Philadelphia, this day and age especially and I think you do that by how you connect with everyone in your organization. What I hear is he’s fantastic in terms of how he connects and establishes relationships with his players, the staff and everybody in the club. So that’s something I’ve definitely tried to replicate”, finished Lesesne.
Interesting matchup
Cameron Harper has established himself as the Red Bulls right-back and faces a challenging assignment tonight against Kai Wagner, who holds the reputation as one of the top defenders in the United States.
“Kai Wagner is one the best defenders in the game. I’m getting ready for him and I’m sure he’s getting ready for me”, said Harper during the Red Bulls last pre-match conference last Sunday (6).
In his third season with the New York Red Bulls, Harper is eagerly anticipating tonight’s game and expects Subaru Park to be buzzing with energy. He expressed confidence in his club’s preparation and stated that they are fully ready to head back to New Jersey after the match with their ticket secured to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup.
“I’ve only played at Subaru Park once. It gives a good, hostile atmosphere that builds the rivalry. We play each other enough and have similar style. We’re ready to get a win against them”, said Harper.
(Cover: New York Red Bulls)
