Patrick Vieira had a storied career around Europe as a key figure on Premier League, Serie A and World Cup-winning teams. With all of those experiences and successes, he had plenty of wisdom to impart when his playing career ended.
Not long after, he crossed paths with Albert Rusnák, then a 17-year-old on the rise in Manchester City’s youth setup. By 2013, both Vieira and Rusnák reached the Manchester City reserves and for two years the former coached the latter in his first seasons as a professional. On Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium, their paths will cross again as Rusnák and Real Salt Lake take on New York City FC, where Vieira is in his second season as Head Coach.
Both have seen early success in their ventures into MLS, as Rusnák has two goals and four assists in nine matches, while Vieira turned NYCFC around after a poor inaugural season to have the club among the top teams in the East since he took over to start the 2016 season.
“With that much experience as a player, you have a lot to give to your players,” Rusnák said. “If you look at their season so far, they’re playing great, they’ve got many wins and they’re high on the table. I’m expecting a tough game.”
While the conversation between the two may be jovial and good-spirited, that won’t interfere with the task at hand on the field, as RSL looks to break out of a recent rut.
“I’m going to see him for sure and have a little chat with him, but once we come on the field, we’re enemies,” Rusnák said.
NYCFC is fourth in the East at 5-3-2 and unbeaten in the last three matches. RSL is 2-7-2 and winless in its last four matches. Kickoff on Wednesday is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.
