HANOVER, N.J. — Danny Royer knows what he has to do. He’s been in this situation before. The New York Red Bulls winger has the solution and the main ingredient is hard work.
And while Royer believes it’s a matter of when and not if he finds the back of the net again, the season-opening scoring slump that extended to four matches Saturday in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire at Red Bull Arena is still frustrating.
Royer sat at his locker fielding numerous questions about his, and his team’s, inability to put away scoring chances that resulted in a 22-4 shot advantage against the Fire.
“As I said, I know how to work through this,” Royer said. “Usually when you score, everything is easier so just keep fighting through this, not thinking too much and then when I finally score I think it will be easier.”
The season started promisingly enough for the Austrian winger, whose diving header gave the Red Bulls an important away goal in a 1-1 draw with Olimpia in the Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. It appeared Royer picked up where he left off a year ago, when he was second on the Red Bulls with 12 goals in 26 regular season and tacked on two more goals in three playoff games.
But thus far in league play, Royer has no goals despite putting seven of his 13 shots — both team highs — on frame. That doesn’t include hammering a shot off the crossbar — the second time this year he’s struck the woodwork — in the 62nd minute or the goal that got called back because the offside flag was raised Saturday.
“I don’t think it’s a confidence thing,” Royer said after the match. “It would be really bad if I don’t create anything. It didn’t work out with a lot of goals and assists so far, but it will come. Sometimes you don’t know why that’s happening. Still, stay focused and keep fighting through it, still try to create something, try to work hard and then it will come. I hope sooner than later.”
While Royer said there’s no questioning his belief, Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch doesn’t want Royer to think he’s having a bad run of luck.
“I told him it’s not to do with luck, it’s to do now with approaching every play and getting after it and his relentlessness and he’s for the most part doing that,” Marsch said. “It’s just clearing his mind and making sure he knows he’s not just judged by goals and the more than he does all the little things right, the more the goals will come.”
Marsch said he’s been through this process. This time two years ago, Bradley Wright-Phillips went seven straight games to start the season without a goal. He ended 2016 with 24 to win the Golden Boot for a second straight year.
“You just make sure they continue to feel confident about their presence within the group and that they stay focused on the things that truly matter and not just scoring goals,” Marsch said.