Chris Armas amped for RBNY return? Just focused on family, three points

Chris Armas called the New York Red Bulls home for six years, split as an assistant coach under Jesse Marsch and then head coach when his predecessor left for Europe.

Now, for the first time since the club parted ways with him last fall, Armas is returning to Red Bull Arena.

The 48-year-old was appointed head coach by Toronto FC this past winter and will take his squad to face RBNY on Saturday (1 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+). However, he’s not as focused on his old employer as he is on other priorities.

“Heading back home, first and foremost, I get to see my wife and children,” Armas told media during a virtual press conference Thursday. “I haven’t seen my children in three months or so, my wife came to Canada for a short stretch. That’s at the top of the list. The second thing is the club I was at for six years, but honestly, it’s about going there and getting our season going.”

Armas led RBNY to the Supporters’ Shield title in 2018, his first season as head coach, taking over after Marsch left that July upon becoming an assistant coach at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. Armas went 29W-21L-11T in league play, helping the Red Bulls reach the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs both years in charge. After his departure, Bradley Carnell took over an interim basis and helped the club make its 11th straight playoff appearance.

Armas is intimately familiar with RBNY’s tactical ethos, which has continued and accelerated under his successor, Gerhard Struber.

“They’ve played some different systems in their three games, but what doesn’t change is the philosophy,” Armas said. “They have a very strong identity of playing with intensity and pressure. … It becomes so much about us understanding that type of game. Second balls become important, our pressing becomes important with how they control spaces. Understanding and executing is the challenge for us.”