Red Bulls hit rock bottom, lose to NYCFC in Cup (1-3)
- Emilio Lopez
- Apr 30
- 5 min read
Updated: May 1
April 29, 2026 (Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, NJ)
In a Round of 16 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Hudson River Derby match involving two struggling sides, a victory could help change the fortunes of Red Bull New York or New York City FC. It would be expected that Red Bulls would have the advantage playing at home, but that was far from the case.
The Red Bulls came into the match with only three league victories in ten matches, conceding an astonishing 25 goals in those matches, and winless in the last 4 MLS matches. Meanwhile, NYCFC came into the match winless in the last 6 MLS matches.
With a sparce crowd of only 9,000 spectators in Harrison, NYCFC got off to a great start in the 9th minute as Australian international Kai Trewin would score on a Maxi Moralez corner. The lead would not last long as in the 14th minute Red Bull scoring sensation Julian Hall would do well to score the equalizer, finishing a nice pass by Cade Cowell inside the area, and putting the ball past Matt Freese. NYCFC would push forward looking to take the lead, again taking advantage of Red Bulls defensive frailties, Maxi Moralez would find Raul Gustavo on a corner at the near post, and the Brazilian would head it in to make it 2-1 for the visitors. NYCFC would take a 2-1 lead into the half.
The Red Bulls would begin the second half with the same eleven, while NYCFC would bring in Talles Magno for Malachi Jones. Despite the Red Bulls needing a goal to tie the match, a sense of urgency was not shown by the side. NYCFC would put the match away in the 57th minute, again off of a corner kick. Moralez would once again put the ball in the area, and Thiago Martins would make it 3-1 for NYCFC. The last noted time a team had conceded three goals on corners was during the 2024/2025 EPL season as Liverpool would score three times from corners in a 5-2 victory over West Ham United.
With the game appearing out of reach, Michael Bradley would make three substitutions, taking out Forsberg, Marshall-Rutty, and Cowell, and bringing in Benedetti, Mina and Mosquera. The moves didn’t seem to make much difference, and in the 72nd minute the Red Bulls were fortunate to not concede again on a corner. Fernandez Mercau’s in-swinging corner forced McCarty to punch the ball, and after some activity in the box the ball was eventually cleared. Bradley would make his final changes of the match in the 78th minute, as forgotten man Choupo-Moting, and Sofo would be inserted into the match for Hall, and Ruvalcaba. Despite creating some chances in attack, the Red Bulls at no point appeared to be a threat to get back in the match. The match would end with Red Bulls being eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup by a 3-1 score.
With this loss, it can be officially stated that this Red Bull team is in crisis, and the job that Michael Bradley is doing with this team needs to be closely evaluated. While Bradley repeatedly states that his team is playing with “an identity”, the truth is it appears to be more talk than substance. The team has struggled defensively all season, and it can not only be blamed on the players. Bradley’s defensive principals need to be looked at closely, beginning with the team’s defensive highline or defending on set-pieces, it appears that Bradley has no solution.
Why was Bradley hired?
Bradley led Red Bull NY II to an MLS Next Pro title in 2026, but it should not be forgotten that he took over a team guided by Ibrahim Sekagya that was already at the top of the table. While the team did score 50 goals in his 19 matches in charge of Red Bull II, his team also conceded a whopping 42 in those matches, or 2.2 goals per match. Most notably, Bradley’s RBII conceded an embarrassing 9 goals in a 9-2 loss to Chicago Fire II on July 27, 2025.
Bradley is not the tactical master he portrays himself to be. Proper tactics involve both the attacking and defensive side. His ideas are not sustainable for winning matches. Teams who consistently concede over two goals per match are not successful. While in MLS Next Pro, which is probably a 4th tier league, matches can be won by a 4-3 score-line, expecting to do that consistently at a 1st Division level is unrealistic.
Additionally, MLS is not MLS Next Pro, one is a league that expects results while the other is a league to develop players. Some players in MLS Next Pro will move on in the professional game, while others will be weeded out. Players like Adri Mehmeti and Matthew Dos Santos, while talented, have shown they are works in progress. The fact that Bradley has anointed them automatic starters for Red Bull New York is concerning. Youth is not a technical quality, players should play based on merit and production, and the truth is while both players have shown flashes, they have also shown they are not players that should be penciled into a lineup on a weekly basis for a team that is looking for winning results.
Week in and week out, the Red Bulls trot out basically the same lineup, no changes in personnel or tactics. Michael Bradley is not a Pep Guardiola or a Luis Enrique, coaches with a track record who are expected to die with their ideas. Bradley has not shown an ability to make adjustments and the team continues to mire in mediocrity. The team also does not seem to show a hunger that is needed to win, and the narrative in the early going was all about the “Baby Bulls”. It doesn’t matter if you lose with a young group or an older group, the results count the same, Bradley’s job is to win matches, and so far this season the wins have been very few.
Let’s see if anything was learned for this weekend’s match against Dallas.
Goals: 9 ' Trewin (NYC), 14' (Hall (RB), 39' Gustavo (NYC), 57 ' Martins (NYC)
Match Stats:
Possession: Red Bull NY 54% – NYCFC 46%
Shots: Red Bull NY 9 – NYCFC 10
Shots on Target: Red Bull NY 5 – NYCFC 4
Corners: Red Bull NY 6 – NYCFC 11
Saves: Red Bull NY 1 – NYCFC 4
Yellow Cards: Red Bull NY 1 – NYCFC 1
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