Gerhard Struber keeping Red Bulls locked in for playoff opener vs. FC Cincinnati

Nearly two years after arriving in the United States, Red Bulls coach Gerhard Struber sounded the part of a commanding American football coach on Thursday.

Unlike most Europeans who’ve come to Major League Soccer, the Austrian declared his admiration for the league’s playoff system. He only gave information about available players when prompted (Dru Yearwood is back from suspension, but Cristian Casseres Jr. will miss with injury).

And perhaps most Saban-or-Belichick-like, Struber said his Red Bulls will be spending Friday night at a nearby hotel to set their focus ahead of their MLS Cup playoff opener against FC Cincinnati at noon on Saturday at Red Bull Arena, a practice he’s successfully instituted for recent home matches.

“I think since we do it, we create points at home, and there’s not one person who pointed to a reason we should stop it now,” Struber said during a virtual news conference. “We go in the hotel, we’ll have a very professional set-up and frame what will help us in the end to step into the next round. I think when we are always close together, the mood is good together.”

The hotel routine started near the end of August, when the Red Bulls snapped a home winless streak against Inter Miami with a 3-1 victory. They’ve won two of three home matches since, the lone loss coming to first-place Philadelphia Union with victories over New England and Charlotte. That helped RBNY end the regular season in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 53 points, earning a home matchup against No. 5 seed Cincinnati.

“The workshop, what we can do in the hotel, helps us also to find always for the next game the right trigger points, the right commitment,” Struber said. “We will do it again and hopefully it brings us luck and commitment to help us for the next step.”

Home teams staying in hotels is common practice in the NFL and college football, but not the norm in MLS. Yet the Red Bulls — the youngest team in MLS at average age 23.122 — have embraced the practice.

“I live like three minutes from the hotel, so it might be a little bit hard for me,” joked 20-year-old defender John Tolkin. “I think it’s good for everybody to kind of really lock in. It really has helped us when everybody’s together the night before and for the build-up before the game. I think it really just hones everybody in. You’re not at home focusing on other things. All you have to do is focus on preparing for the game, and I think it’s been beneficial.

Youth has been key to the Red Bulls’ success over the years, including this squad’s effort to earn the club’s 13th consecutive playoff berth. This year, achieving much with little experience is a point of pride for Tolkin and his teammates.

“It gives us a little chip on our shoulder, I guess you could say underdog mentality because the younger guys, I feel like if you ask most people they’d say, ‘they’re not supposed to win this game, they’re a young team.’” Tolkin said. “But we like that, I think that’s how every Red Bull team has been in the past and when that is the case, we definitely always show up and perform. So, we always have that in the back of our minds, and we’ll be ready.”

By Ryan Gerbosi

ryan.gerbosi@newsday.comRyanGerbosi

Ryan Gerbosi is an internet news manager for sports at Newsday.com. He also covers NYCFC and mixed martial arts and believes the designated hitter should be banned from baseball.