An electrifying atmosphere filled Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ, on Saturday night as the NY Red Bulls won their first game since May against Orlando City SC.
Having beaten Orlando earlier in the season, the Red Bulls began playing with an aggressive offense led by Cade Cowell on the right wing. Cowell wasn’t alone on offense, as he was joined by Julian Hall on the left wing and Mijahir Jiménez as the striker.
In the 5th minute, the New York offense was inching closer to scoring the first goal of the match. Then, with a pass from midfield by Emil Forsberg into the box, Gustav Berggren was able to shoot the ball right under the arms of the goalkeeper to score the first goal of the game.
Berggren’s goal was overturned as offside, but it showed that the NY offense was going to keep creating chances.
Eighteen minutes later, the Red Bulls found their first goal of the match. The buildup came once again from a pass by Forsberg from midfield to Berggren, who, this time, instead of shooting, crossed the ball on the ground, where Jiménez was able to tap it into the back of the net.
23′ goal from Jiménez… in his first @MLS start. Easy 🤷#RBNY | @Audi pic.twitter.com/W4X1SLMwzn
— Red Bull New York (@NewYorkRedBulls) August 2, 2026
The goal from Jiménez, the Panamanian 19-year-old striker, was his first goal in the MLS in his first start for the NY Red Bulls. Jiménez was called up from the Red Bull New York II squad on July 22.
Coach Michael Bradley expressed satisfaction with Jiménez’s playing style, noting that they had worked together at Red Bulls II, and also praised the bridge between the two clubs.
“It’s the reason that we, as a club, believe so strongly in the pathway, the connection between the first team, the second team, and the academy. You look on the field tonight and that is so prevalent.”
With the first goal on the scoreboard, the Red Bulls did not sit back and kept attacking, looking for their second.
Right before halftime, Cowell passed a through ball to Forsberg, who then had a one-on-one with the goalkeeper to score the second goal for the NY Red Bulls.
43′ | Forsberg goal from Cowell. 2-0 at half!#RBNY | @Audi pic.twitter.com/PDN8VV6xIe
— Red Bull New York (@NewYorkRedBulls) August 2, 2026
The first half played in NY’s favor. The offense played aggressively and maintained control of the ball. The defense also played its part with key defensive saves from defender Justin Che and goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.
The second half, however, did not go as smoothly for New York.
In the 52nd minute, Orlando City was given a corner kick, which they converted into a goal, making the score 2-1 and sending NY a sign that they could not sit back or it could backfire on them.
Then, eight minutes later, Jiménez once again found the back of the net, this time from a pass inside the box by Cowell and a chip shot into the right corner of the net to make the score 3-1 and give NY some breathing room.
60′ | (Another) assist from Cowell, (another) goal from Jiménez.#RBNY | @Audi pic.twitter.com/G7da97mPUQ
— Red Bull New York (@NewYorkRedBulls) August 2, 2026
While the Red Bulls were not giving up, neither was Orlando City, as only two minutes later, Orlando City defender Griffin Dorsey tapped the ball into the net off a cross.
Within 20 minutes of the second half, the score was now 3-2, with the NY Red Bulls in the lead, and all they had to do was hold on.
In the final moments of the game, NY goalkeeper Ethan Horvath made massive saves that ultimately won the Red Bulls the game. Most notably, during the 93rd minute, a scramble broke out in the NY box. Four shots on goal were made in a matter of seconds by Orlando’s Tyrese Spicer, Robin Jansson, Bernardo Rhein, and Luis Otávio.
Three of the four shots were blocked by Horvath, who then ended up with the ball.
On this play and on Horvath’s performance, Coach Bradley stated:
“It’s not easy being a goalkeeper on our team, the way that we play, the way that we try to push the game, the way that we want to be aggressive, the space that gets left behind the defenders in certain moments.”
But he noted that they will get better and, as this young team develops, they will continue to find ways to win.
With this win, NY earned its seventh win of the season, now tied with Charlotte FC on 25 points in the Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls will now travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, August 15, to face Atlanta United.
