RECAP: Red Bulls Defeat Orlando City in Game One of 2026, 2-1
The MLS campaign is finally upon us after a hiatus that was longer than usual.
For the first time in 15 years, the Red Bulls did not play a game in November/December and have changed their entire managerial and front office staff.
Sandro Schwarz and Jochen Schneider have left the club, and in their places come the promotions of Michael Bradley and Julian de Guzman.
Bradley comes from leading the Baby Bulls to the MLS Next Pro title, and de Guzman was promoted from assistant General Manager.
Lineup
The Red Bulls start their season with nine returning players from last season, indicating the team wants to build a new squad to forget their failure to reach the playoffs. These nine are Julian Hall, Emil Forsberg, Ronald Donkor, Dylan Nealis, John McCarthy, Omar Valencia, Gustav Breggren, Juan Mina, and Eric Chupo-Moting. Hall, Forsberg, Donkor, and Nealis are in the starting eleven while McCarthy, Valencia, Breggren, and Mina are on the bench.
There are a couple of NYRB II alumni, such as Adri Mehmeti, Mathew Dos Santos, Tanner Rosborough, and Andy Rojas. There are also six new signings, such as Ethan Horvath, Justin Che, Jahkele Marshall-Rutty, Jorge Ruvalcaba, Cade Cowell, and Robert Voloder. All of these, except Voloder, are starting.
As for how it would look on the field, it’s: Horvath in goal, with a back line of Dos Santos, Nealis, Che, and Marshall-Rutty. In the midfield, it is Forsberg on the left wing, with Mehmeti in the middle, and Donkor on the right wing. In the attack, it’s Ruvalcaba on the left, Hall as a nine, and Cowell on the right.
First Half Analysis
The team played a high press, which led to a goal in the first couple of minutes of the game. In the eighth minute, the team went up 1-0 thanks to a Julian Hall goal, which Emil Forsberg assisted. The team has been dominant in possession; Orlando has had only three instances of danger and one shot, which Adri Mehmeti stopped. In the 40th minute of the first half, Hall got a double, and it seems like this game would be a blowout.
At times, Orlando looks like they want the half to end as quickly as possible, as the team has played to waste as much time as possible. This could be due to Wilder Cartagena getting injured in the fourteenth minute of the game. At halftime, the Red Bulls had an xG of 3.2, whereas Orlando finished with an xG of 0.05.
Second Half and End of the Game Analysis
This half, Orlando City was a little better, but in the waning minutes, the Red Bulls have been more dominant. It was a complete 180 from the first half for Orlando City, as it felt like a training session for the Red Bulls. Had it not been for Crepeau, this would’ve been over in the first twenty minutes. There were some minutes at the start of the second half when Orlando was dominant.
In addition to the Red Bulls’ win, Ethan Horvath made a good debut, as Orlando City could’ve lost despite the many chances it created in the second 45 minutes.
Overall, this was a great managerial debut for Michael Bradley, as he read Orlando City’s approach and wanted to do the same.
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