Michael Bradley’s trust in youth has continued to pay off in his debut season as Red Bull New York first-team head coach.
Forward Mijahir Jiménez is the latest youngster from Red Bull New York II to make an immediate impact after graduating to the first team.
The Panama native played a key role in the Red Bulls’ 3-2 victory over visiting Orlando City by recording a brace in his first career MLS start.
Jiménez Delivers the Goods in First Career MLS Start
Bradley handed Jiménez his first career MLS start after he had put in an impressive substitute appearance one week earlier in his MLS debut against Charlotte FC.
On Saturday, the 19-year-old scored the match’s opening goal in the 23rd minute. Red Bull New York captain Emil Forsberg played a through ball to fellow Swede Gustav Berggren, who supplied the primary assist to Jiménez.
“Mijahir is somebody that I know well,” Bradley said following Saturday’s win. “He and I spent a lot of time together in the second team last year. He has really interesting qualities for a young striker. He has a strong mentality. He works really hard.
“His commitment and his contribution to the team in terms of understanding how to help us be aggressive and press, that part is really good. He does a lot of dirty work against the ball, and he still then has really good qualities and instincts in the box.”
Jiménez took the place of winger Jorge Ruvalcaba, who was suspended due to yellow card accumulation. He darted to an open space and toe-poked Berggren’s feed into the net.
Forsberg, Berggren Help Spark Red Bulls
Forsberg would later add a goal of his own in the 43rd minute to send the Red Bulls into the halftime break with a 2-0 advantage.
Jiménez scored his second goal of the contest by firing home Cade Cowell’s feed in the 60th minute. He left the pitch to a warm ovation in the 70th minute when he was replaced by Mohammed Sofo.
He became the second player in team history to score a brace in his first-career MLS start. Cornell Glen previously accomplished the feat on May 8, 2004.
Orlando would twice cut New York’s lead to a single goal through netbound efforts by Tyrese Spicer and Griffin Dorsey.
Veteran defender Tim Parker would enter the match in the 75th minute to make his 100th career MLS appearance for Red Bull New York.
Ethan Horvath made several exceptional late saves to preserve the Red Bull victory.
“Ethan had a really big game,” 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 and obviously, as we continue to get better, and we will, the part of now being able to be that much more balanced, that much more secure, in the end, with all due respect for Orlando tonight because they fight hard in the second half, that’s probably a game that we should win a little bit easier.”
The Red Bulls will next travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face Atlanta United on August 15.
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