Red Bull New York secured a dominant 4-1 victory over San Diego FC on Saturday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium, scoring three goals in the opening 27 minutes to take control early.
Julian Hall opened the scoring in the 15th minute, followed by Devin Padelford’s first goal for New York five minutes later. Jorge Ruvalcaba added a third in the 27th minute, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting sealed the victory with a goal in second-half stoppage time. San Diego’s Cédric Bakambu scored in the 60th minute.
Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath made four saves, including a penalty kick stop against Anders Dreyer in the 44th minute, to help the Red Bulls secure the win. Hall recorded his 11th goal of the season, while Ruvalcaba contributed a goal and an assist. Ronald Donkor tallied two assists, and Cade Cowell and Adri Mehmeti each added one. Defender Tim Parker also reached a career milestone, making his 300th Major League Soccer (MLS) appearance.
The Red Bulls head coach Michael Bradley praised Hall’s ability to return from international duty and immediately make an impact.
“It’s not always easy to switch gears, especially for a young player who has experience with youth national teams,” the coach said. “This is the first time that he’s ever done it, where you go from club football to the national team, and then have to quickly change gears and get yourself back into your club and back into rhythm.”
Coach Bradley added that Hall looked ready from the start and carried confidence from his time with the national team into the match.
Horvath credited his preparation for stopping Dreyer’s penalty in the first half.
“I watched their previous penalties last night and went through it before the match and decided that’s where I was going to go and just commit to it,” Horvath said.
Tim Parker Reaches 300 MLS Appearance
Saturday night also marked a milestone for veteran defender Tim Parker, who made his 300th MLS appearance after entering the match in the 61st minute.
Coach Bradley praised Parker’s consistency, leadership and willingness to step up whenever the team needed him throughout the season.
“It’s an incredible achievement, to be able to be as consistent as Tim has been over the years,” the coach said. “It speaks to who he is as a player, who he is as a person, as a leader, as a competitor.”
The coach also highlighted Parker’s reliability during a crucial stretch of the season, whether called upon to start or make an impact off the bench.
“When we’ve needed him to be ready to start and play from the beginning, when we’ve needed to bring him on in games, he’s been there,” the coach said. “It’s a great night, a great achievement for him. And obviously, when you can take three points, it makes it even better.”
Parker’s milestone added another highlight to a night in which New York earned three important points and continued building momentum heading into its next matchup.
Looking Ahead to D.C. United
With the regular season winding down, Horvath believes the Red Bulls are finding their form at the right time.
“Just believing in myself, we’re coming into form at the right time, and before this game we said we had seven finals, one down,” Horvath said. “It was a great performance today from the team.”
The Red Bulls will look to carry their momentum into their next match against D.C. United. Horvath said the team would use its day off to recover before returning to training Monday to prepare for the matchup.
“I think the message is we need to continue the momentum forward, and going into D.C., we have nothing to be afraid of,” Horvath said. “It’s all in our hands and all in our control.”
New York’s strong attacking performance, combined with Horvath’s penalty save and contributions from its young players, gives the club momentum heading into the next stage of its season.
