After a two-week Leagues Cup break, Red Bull New York returns to action on Saturday night against Atlanta United FC.
Last time out, Red Bull New York defeated Orlando City SC 3-2 at Sports Illustrated Stadium on August 1.
Head coach Michael Bradley is hoping that the Red Bulls can pick up where they left off when they take the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It’s been a unique MLS season for sure,” Bradley said on Thursday. “Obviously, the long summer break, the summer preseason, back into it with three games in a week, and then three games in a short period of time, and then another two weeks without a game.
“After the summer preseason, when you start playing, you want to keep going for it. You want to build rhythm. You want to feel like you’re taking the work and letting good games and good results and good performances build on each other. We’ve made the best of it.”
Historically, the Red Bulls have enjoyed plenty of success against Atlanta United. The Red Bulls are unbeaten in four of their last five matches against Atlanta and have posted a 5-2-3 record at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Mijahir Jiménez’s Breakthrough Gives Red Bull New York a Fresh Option in Attack
It feels like the Red Bulls finally have a variety of attacking options given the emergence of rookie forward Mijahir Jiménez, who signed a long-term deal on Friday.
Julian Hall, Cade Cowell and Jorge Ruvalcaba have been effective as an attacking trident, though Jiménez offers the Red Bulls a different dynamic with his strength and hold-up play, as Cowell recently explained.
“With him, it’s a little bit different profile,” Cowell said. “He’s bigger; he can do more holding up in the play. His qualities are a little bit different than Jules [Hall]. I think he’s a great player. It’s great to have both of them in the team.”
Jiménez’s Emergence Gives Bradley Options To Consider
Bradley started Jiménez centrally against Orlando City and the 19-year-old responded by scoring a brace in his first career MLS start. Now that Ruvalcaba is available for selection after serving a one-match suspension, Bradley could opt to continue with a front three of Hall, Jiménez and Cowell with Hall playing wide or revert to his tried and tested trio of Ruvalcaba, Hall and Cowell with Hall at center forward.
“One of the really positive things against Orlando is that we were able to get Jules a game playing from the left from the start,” Bradley said. “[We know] his ability to play as a nine and give us really, really good things there, but also now his ability to play from the left and do it in a way that’s a little bit different than Jorge, but still be a real threat.
“When you talk about building a team, you talk about how you’re always thinking about how to have as many options as possible, and how to have different ways that in certain moments you can tweak things and still keep your idea of football and keep your foundation and your way of playing.”
Red Bull New York and Atlanta United Injury and Lineup News Ahead of Saturday’s Contest
There are no changes to the Red Bulls’ availability report ahead of Saturday’s match. Goalkeeper A.J. Marcucci remains out in his long-term recovery from knee surgery, and winger Rafael Mosquera is listed as questionable due to a thigh injury.
Now that Gustav Berggren has moved to Lech Poznań, there will be an opportunity for a Red Bull youngster to claim his minutes. Nehuén Benedetti could be in line to see action against Atlanta United on Saturday as Nate Worth captained Red Bull New York II to a 2-1 victory over Atlanta United 2 on Friday.
UPDATE: 6:40 P.M. ET:
Red Bull New York announced the following starting XI and substitutes.
Goalkeeper: Horvath
Defenders: Nealis, Bazan, Che, Dos Santos
Midfielders: Donkor, Mehmeti, Forsberg
Forwards: Cowell, Hall, Jimenez
Subs: Benedetti, Choupo-Moting, Harper, Marshall-Rutty, McCarthy, Parker, Ruvalcaba, Sofo, Valencia
Benedetti, Worth and Deven Cadigan appear best suited to replace Berggren as the squad stands right now. It’s possible that Red Bull New York head of sport Julian de Guzman could dip into the transfer market for a replacement, though young, in-house options are being prioritized.
Atlanta United will be without midfielder Mauricio Amaro, who is experiencing visa issues after signing for the club on August 7. Midfielder Jay Fortune is also set to miss out due to a hamstring injury, and Will Reilly is considered questionable due to an ankle injury.
How to Watch Red Bull New York vs. Atlanta United: Time, TV and Stream Info
Saturday’s match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Apple TV. Jessica Charman and Ian Joy will be on the call in English while Sergio Ruiz and Walter Roque will provide Spanish commentary.
Matt Harmon will call play-by-play on Red Bulls Radio alongside Steve Jolley.
More Red Bull New York Coverage
Enjoyed this story? Follow us for the latest updates! | Bluesky | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Leave a Reply