Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to CF Montréal marked Michael Bradley’s first loss as Red Bull New York head coach after he guided the club to back-to-back victories to open the 2026 MLS season.

It was a sobering defeat for Red Bull New York and their supporters, after their encouraging start was the talk of the league. Fans arrived early in the parking lots outside of Sports Illustrated Stadium in hope of seeing New York roll off a third straight win.

Instead, it was a match where the Red Bulls were frustrated in attack and made too many mistakes at the back.

Despite owning 62.6 of possession and outpassing Montréal 583-318, the Red Bulls were unable to make the visitors pay.

“I thought we had moments where our ideas and some of the things that we tried to do were good, but certainly for the day, we didn’t create enough,” Bradley said following the defeat. “We didn’t manage to take our football and our control of the game and turn it into enough big chances. A few too many almosts, a few too many times, where if we’re a little bit sharper, if we see the space or the window a little bit faster.

“A few times we played balls across the six-yard box in really dangerous ways and didn’t have anybody running in there. That part for sure let us down a little bit today.”

Red Bulls Look To Learn From ‘Hard Lessons’

Bradley understands that the value of lessons learned during a long season can help spur the club toward greater goals.

“Yeah, today is a hard lesson, but an important one for sure,” Bradley said. “Just in terms of the understanding for our group, that obviously we have our ideas in terms of the football that we want to play, the game that we want to try to make, but if in a few too many areas our level comes down even just a little bit and we are not quite as good dealing with the moments of the game that play out the way the opponent wants to then the margins get tight.

“You know, and obviously if you combine that today with giving away bad goals at bad times, early in the game against a team that has not had a particularly good start to the season, to give them even a little bit of hope, that is not the way you want to start. Obviously, then the free kick later in the half, we did not manage that in a good way and then in the second half, when we are trying to push back into the game to give away three-zero like that is hard as well. Yeah, hard lesson today, but an important one, and we will use it in the right way.”

Winger Cade Cowell and defender Robert Voloder echoed their coach’s words by stating the need to learn from Sunday’s defeat and correct the mistakes that showed up against Montréal.

“We’re a very young team — mistakes will happen,” Cowell said. “I think this is a really good learning spot for us. I think coming Tuesday, we’re not going to think twice about it. All the focus is going to be going to Toronto, getting three points from there, and it’s going to be good.”

“We know the mistakes that we made, we’re going to analyze them, and we’ll do a better job next week,” Voloder added.

Red Bull New York will face a more challenging opponent in the form of Toronto FC, who earned a clean sheet on Sunday by defeating FC Cincinnati 1-0 at TQL Stadium.

Record signing Josh Sargent did not play on Sunday. He will ask questions of the Red Bull backline, should he be unleashed by Robin Fraser next Saturday at BMO Field.

Enjoyed this story? Follow us for the latest updates! | Bluesky | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook