ORLANDO, FLA. – The New York Red Bulls (1-0-0, 3 pts) opened their 2026 Major League Soccer campaign Saturday with a 2-1 road victory over Orlando City SC (0-1-0, 0 pts).
Simply put, a red wave punished the pride of lions in central Florida Saturday night. It was a result that even the most optimistic New York fans could not have imagined. It even left former Red Bull midfielder Dax McCarty amazed on the Apple TV broadcast.
The first half for New York was utter domination against an Orlando City club that has talent all over its roster. But New York did everything right. Some would say it was a perfect first half for the squad from Harrison.
New York dominated possession, their passing looked crisp and brilliant, their pressing made Orlando disjointed and they were lightning fast. Some fans pregame criticized head coach Michael Bradley’s initial starting eleven for being relatively young. Saturday’s starters for Red Bull included 17-year-old forward Julian Hall instead of star Eric Choupo-Moting.
Those fans who were displeased with Bradley’s lineup became elated after the full match.
It was the Hall show in the first half as the energetic youngster gave New York their first goal of the season in the 8th minute.
Later in the 40th minute, Hall converted again to earn the brace and hand New York a 2-0 lead. Impressively, 16-year-old midfielder Adri Mehmeti, who was given his first MLS start, was credited with the assist.
17-year-old defender Matthew Dos Santos, who agreed to a short-term agreement before Saturday’s match, also made his first MLS start. This allowed the club to make some history.
Following the match, Bradley gave credit to his squad in what was his first official MLS match as the head coach of New York.
“There were a lot of good things, a lot of really good things,” Bradley said postgame. “We wanted to make sure that we showed our ideas, our personality, our football and for the first game there was a lot of good stuff.”
Saturday also saw New York start two valuable pieces that they brought in during the offseason in designated player Jorge Ruvalcaba and Cade Cowell. Hall spoke highly of both post-match.
“Having them come into our squad is a great help for me and all the other players,” Hall told the press Saturday. “They kind of help me set up in the best position, they’re very direct and they have all their skills to be able to help the team.”
Entering halftime, Red Bull led massively in shots with a 15-2 advantage. The only complaint fans had was that the score should have been higher.
Tactically, though, changes were made by Orlando’s head man Oscar Pareja to start the second half. “The Lions” looked more alive and played with urgency, while New York looked more like a younger squad. Orlando found their opportunities and attacked a New York backline that had questions entering the new season.
However, nothing was finding the back of the net for the home side. The reason, new Red Bull goalkeeper Ethan Horvath stepped up majorly in the second half.
Finishing with four saves, Horvath came up big as the match marched on. His save in the 64th minute against an Orlando free kick was huge.
Even with allowing a goal from Orlando’s Tiago late in the match, it was an outstanding result for New York. It’s even more impressive as New York only had two wins away from Sports Illustrated Stadium last season.
“Before the game we kind of talked about first impressions,” Hall said. “Of course we’re kind of a newer team, but the main thing is we’re coming out to show who we are and show who Red Bull are.”
“Ultimately, we want to be a team that no matter who we play, no matter where, that we step on the field and try to push the game,” Bradley said. “We try to play our football, we try to go after the other team, we try to put the game on our terms… our idea is to step on the field every single weekend and go for it.”
Now with match one in the books, Red Bull head home to Harrison as they get set for their home opener vs the New England Revolution next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on Apple TV.
