New York Red Bulls midfielder Omir Fernandez recovered from injury just in time to start the 2023 MLS Season - his fifth in the league. The New York Red Bulls opened up the season facing conference rivals Orlando City down in Florida.

He writes his thoughts on the upcoming season and what goes into preparing for a season opener.

“This is season five now of being a pro with the Red Bulls, and I'm very excited. This is an especially important season because last year I had a bigger role on the team as a starter and coming off the bench, but more of a starter being involved in many of the team's success.

So this year, I just want to build off that and become a solidified starter.

We have a reputation of being a contender but we need to further push that. I want to have a very successful season with the team which means winning a trophy or more, and contributing to goals and assists”.

Matchday

Like any footballer, Omir has his own matchday routine that he adheres to in preparation for every match.

"You can consider me superstitious but only for game days. Typically, we have the game schedule which involves the basic stuff like eating two or three times before the game, a team walk, and maybe watching some film".

"But before the team’s film session or pre-match, I have to sleep. It’s a must or else I'm going to feel super tired and sluggish before the game. I know that's not exciting, but getting sleep for me is absolutely essential before a game.

Once it starts getting close to game time, I also have to drink some coffee, one or two cups before we head out to the stadium.

But physical preparation for a match doesn’t start the day of it, no, it starts days and weeks in advance and I think I do a good job at it. Being aware and knowing your body goes a long way. I know what I need to eat and how to recover to stay in top physical form.

These games come real fast and they're incredibly demanding. There is no room to slack off, not even a little bit.

When it comes to mental preparation religion plays a major role. I have to have my Bible present and read some passages before the match. It brings me peace and it helps me to relax knowing that I'm protected at all times".

@dianaalia_
Omir’s Tissot Gentleman’s Edition watch, Bible, and Adidas x Speedportal .1 boots for the match.

Warm Up

"I also look for inspiration watching highlight videos of ballers I admire. Some I watch often are Eden Hazard, Neymar is a big one for me, and Cristiano Ronaldo when he was at Manchester United.

 I thrive to be skillful and dangerous in the attack so watching these guys helps me create similar habits on the pitch.

The biggest thing is trying to zone out as many distractions as I can and focusing on things that will help me on the pitch.

Once, I'm in the stadium, warming up, seeing the fans and kicking the ball around. I just enter a different mode. My body just knows that it's time to play. It's just time to ball".

Good vibes

Empowered by his faith, footballers he aspires to be like, and a gold necklace that his mother gave to him that reminds him home, Omir is ready to step on the pitch and give it his all against Orlando City.

It was an imposing performance by the Red Bulls in many different facets but they failed to capitalize on it. Omir came in when NYRB were down 0-1 in the 89th minute, but in the end fell short but with several positives to take from the match.

Motivation

"It was an unfortunate result, we lost one zero away from home despite a great performance. Even then we all thought we could have given a lot more as we fully expected to get all three points that game. That’s just how the game is sometimes. you give the team a chance, in this case, a penalty kick, they make their chances count, and we come away with zero points.

I came in a tough situation, but I tried my hardest to help get that goal and create chances for the team. I thought I played ok under the circumstances but I’m just so happy to finally be back on the field after my injury.

I worked so hard to get back to full health in order to be able to play. It wasn’t much time but I’m always grateful to just get on the field. I never take it for granted so it felt really good.

But now we head back home for our second game which is against Nashville. Those first game jitters are gone, we’re now in season mode, and we're ready to play. I think we'll be even more ready for this game on Saturday against Nashville".

"We're gonna build on this performance for the rest of the season. Like I said I we think we played really well but we were just a little rusty in our finishing. Overall, the concepts and ideas were there which is matters long term.

We’re going to watch film and correct the mistakes that we made both on offense and defense in order to keep improving to THE top team in the East".

Season Five: Omir Fernandez

The Transition: Kyle Guy

In Focus: Mati Fondato