Just days after handily defeating their archrivals, NYCFC II in the third and final Hudson River Derby of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season, the New York Red Bulls II (11-3-4) are preparing to defend their spot atop the Eastern Conference against Chicago Fire II (8-5-4).
That game will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET in Chicago at Seat Geek Stadium and will be the Baby Bulls’ second contest of the season against the Fire II.
Fire II may be an even sterner test for the Baby Bulls than NYCFC II was because they currently are fifth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference standings and fresh off a 3-2 come-from-behind victory in their most recent game on July 20 against Toronto FC II.
Baby Bulls head coach Michael Bradley will be coaching in his sixth career game, and his record is 3-1-1 in his young career. He and his players are buzzing after earning their biggest victory yet, a 4-2 derby win, and Bradley shed some light on what the atmosphere was like at the training ground the week after that victory over NYCFC II on July 20.
Guys are excited for sure. Anytime you win a big game, anytime you play really well in a big game, that leaves a good feeling for in the days after as you then lead into the next week. So we were proud of the way that we played. Happy with the result. And we’re using it to reinforce everything that we’re working on every day. We’re using it to make sure guys feel really good about the work, about the progress that they’re making, and we’re going to continue to try to move ourselves forward and push to the next level. – New York Red Bulls II head coach Michael Bradley
Bradley’s team has a lot to be proud of. They scored first and came from behind after giving up two unanswered goals in the first half. NYRB II Panamanian forward Mijahir Jiménez scored his first career hat trick in the derby and now has four goals on the season which is good for fifth on the team.
When asked about if Jiménez’s mentality changed after such a big performance, Bradley said.
These guys are so hungry and so motivated and they come in everyday ready to work, so there isn’t one part of Jimenez that now thinks ‘Yeah, I scored three goals and so I’m ready to take my foot off the gas.’ In a lot of ways, it’s the complete opposite. You see the look in his eye when he comes in and I think [he’s had] a little taste now and he’s realizing in this whole thing how good he can be and how much potential he has and so he’s now he’s gotten a little taste and I think he wants even more so that’s the mentality and that’s the sign of a really good player.
New York is 4-1-2 against Chicago in MLS NEXT Pro play and in those seven matches, the two teams have put up five or more goals together five times. This means we could be in for a goal-fest on Sunday and if it comes to that, the Baby Bulls have the firepower to keep up.
Historically, the Baby Bull who has scored the most against Chicago Fire II is Ibrahim Kasule. The 21-year-old midfielder has scored six times against their opponents from the “Windy City”. However, since returning from a thigh injury, Kasule has come off the bench in two consecutive games.
His manager described what it’s been like to work with the Ugandan who broke the club record for goals scored by a single player with his 26th career goal on June 4.
He’s a great guy and obviously he means a lot to the team, he means a lot to Red Bull 2, the player that he’s been, the success that he’s had the goals that he’s scored, it means a lot. When I came in, he had just picked up the injury, so it meant that it was a little while before I was able to work with him but now that he’s back on the field and in training, it’s great to work with him everyday. You can see that he has some qualities that are a little bit different and when we’ve used him now in Toronto and at the end of the game against New York City, he’s come on with a really good mentality and has helped the team in important moments.
As far as how Chicago Fire II play and what the Baby Bulls have to look out for, well there’s a lot. First and foremost is the club’s leading scorer, 6-foot-1 forward Jason Shokalook who has seven goals and three assists on the season. Then there’s the club leader in goal contributions (11) midfielder Claudio Cassano.
We’ve watched a good amount of them already this week, and it’s a good team. They have some good players. They try to play good football. You know, they have ideas about how they want to rotate and be a little bit fluid and dynamic. And so it’s a team that we have a lot of respect for, and we’ll be ready for.
The Chicago Fire II have scored 34 goals as a team this season while the Baby Bulls pace the league in goals for with 45. Regardless of how far behind the Baby Bulls the Fire II are, Baby Bulls goalkeeper Aidan Stokes and the backline will have their work cut out for them trying to prevent the Fire II from finding the scoresheet on Sunday at their home field.
Two main reasons why the Baby Bulls have been on the front foot and kept their opponents on their heels with their offensive prowess recently have been their two 20-year-olds: forward Rafael Mosquera and midfielder Nehuén Benedetti. Benedetti has been consistent, contributing a goal contribution in each of his last seven matches while Mosquera has been a charm as well, giving his team five goal contributions in the last three matches. Add Jiménez to that mix and the Baby Bulls have a potent attack.
Coach Bradley described how much of a luxury it is to have all these players hitting great form at the same time.
There’s nothing better. It means there’s competition every day in training. It means that now our ability to choose on any given weekend, who fits the best, who’s earned it during the course of the week? And then ultimately still as games are underway, having the ability to change games when we need to, and bring guys on who can make a real difference. That part is important. When you think about the best teams. Those are all key elements.
One key player the Baby Bulls will be without for the second straight week is forward/midfielder Tanner Rosborough. The 17-year-old who is tied for the club lead with seven goals this season is suffering from an abdominal injury and his manager said this about his injury status heading into matchday 20.
He’s working through some different things with our medical staff. We wouldn’t expect him to be available for the weekend, but he’s coming in everyday and working hard with our physios and our medical staff and we’ll continue to see how he progresses.
The Baby Bulls will aim to make it three wins in a row when they take on the Fire II in the Windy City on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Coverage of the match will be available on MLSNEXTPro.com.
