Horvath’s Heroics Earn Red Bulls a Clean Sheet
September 5, 2026 Lumen Field Seattle, WA
The New York Red Bulls kicked off their four-match West Coast road trip with a gritty, hard-fought 0-0 draw against the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field. With the result, the New York team extends its winless streak to five matches (0-3-2).
The Red Bulls, needing a result to keep their tenuous playoff position in place, started a relatively normal lineup with the exception of Emil Forsberg being replaced by Mo Sofo. Julian Hall remained in the lineup despite his recent struggles. Ethan Horvath delivered his best performance in a Red Bulls uniform to date. Entering the contest under scrutiny following a difficult stretch that saw New York concede 46 goals across 22 league matches, Horvath answered the call with authority. He came up big in the 19th minute when Seattle striker Dejan Joveljić slotted a sharp pass across the box to Rusnák, but Horvath reacted instantly to smother the close-range strike. In the 43rd minute, Jordan Morris surged on a 50-yard solo breakaway down the flank, only for Horvath to hold his ground and make a clutch near-post stop with his left hand. These key sequences were a reflection of the first half in which Seattle dictated play while New York's defense remained resolute. The sides entered the half with a scoreless draw.
The second half would be much of the same with Seattle looking for the goal while the Red Bulls sat back and looked for an opening. New York's attack continued to struggle, and 18-year-old forward Julian Hall faced another testing 90 minutes. Seattle’s back line marshaled Hall aggressively, crowding his space on the turn and forcing him wide into congested areas where he struggled to maintain possession. Hall also struggled to establish timing with wingers Cade Cowell and Jorge Ruvalcaba, mistiming runs in transition and failing to convert half-chances into shots on target.
Looking to change the dynamics of the match, both coaches looked to break the deadlock via the bench. Red Bulls head coach Michael Bradley introduced veteran Maxim Choupo-Moting and later Emil Forsberg and handed a debut to David Ruiz in the 74th minute. Meanwhile, Paul Arriola returned from an injury absence for Seattle late in the match. Hall would have a golden opportunity come in the 74th minute when substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting slipped a through ball into the six-yard box. Through on goal, Hall failed to place his strike past Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas, hitting his shot centrally into Thomas' frame.
Overall, Seattle looked the likely team to get the winner, but Horvath would do well for New York. In the 4th minute of stoppage time (90+4'), Seattle nearly walked away with a win when Paul Arriola unleashed a shot from the top of the 18-yard box, but it rattled off the crossbar and stayed out. New York would settle for a scoreless draw and walk away with one point..
Although securing a point on the road isn't a bad outcome, New York was lucky not to lose the match. Ethan Horvath's performance covered up another game where New York faced difficulties. Julian Hall has now gone 10 consecutive matches without scoring, and Michael Bradley will find it challenging to justify giving the young striker full 90-minute appearances. If the aim is to win, it's difficult to understand why Hall is playing instead of Choupo-Moting.
With the point New York sees itself in 10th place in the East and outside of a playoff position.
New York will remain on the road and head to BMO Stadium to face off agaisnt LAFC on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Red Bull New York 0, Seattle Sounders FC 0
Misconduct Summary:
NY – Ronald Donkor (caution, foul) 45’+3’
NY – Justin Che (caution, foul) 51’
NY – Julián Bazán (caution, foul) 63’
SEA – Paul Rothrock (caution, foul) 81’
Red Bull New York: Ethan Horvath; Matthew Dos Santos (Devin Padelford, 81’), Julián Bazán, Justin Che ©, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Adri Mehmeti (David Ruiz, 74’) Ronald Donkor, Mohammed Sofo (Emil Forsberg, 74’), Cade Cowell (Cameron Harper, 67’), Jorge Ruvalcaba (Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, 67’), Julian Hall
Unused Subs: John McCarthy, Mijahir Jiménez, Dylan Nealis, Tim Parker
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 ; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 ; FOULS: 15 ; CORNER KICKS: 7 ; SAVES: 6
Seattle Sounders FC: Andrew Thomas; Alex Roldan, Stuart Hawkins, Cristian Roldan © (Hassani Dotson, 77’), Albert Rusnak, Peter Kingston, Nouhou, Dejan Joveljic, Jordan Morris (Sebastian Gomez, HT), Paul Rothrock (Paul Arriola, 84’), Kalani Kossa (Snyder Brunell, 37’)
Unused Subs: Stefan Frei, Ryan Sailor, Danny Musovski, Kim Kee-hee, Antino Lopez
Match Statistics:
Possession: RBNY 48% - SEA 52%
Total Shots: RBNY 9 - SEA 21
Shots on Target: RNBY 4 - SEA 6
Corner Kicks: RBNY 7 - SEA 9
Fouls: RBNY 15 - SEA 11
Saves: RBNY 6 - SEA 4
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