Michael Bradley asked his Red Bull New York players to empty their tanks in the final match before the 2026 FIFA World Cup break, and they responded with a 2-1 victory away to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
“We’re going to go to Kansas City ready to play that game like a final because it’s the final game for two months, and there’s nothing to hold back,” Bradley said in the lead-up to the match. “There’s nothing to save yourself for, and so we’re going to go there and be ready to lay it all out there.”
Jorge Ruvalcaba led the way by powering the Red Bulls to a 2-0 halftime lead.
The 24-year-old winger has been in scalding form of late. He has now scored four goals across his last four MLS matches.
Red Bull New York Climb Into Fifth in the Eastern Conference
Over that four-match stretch, the Red Bulls have taken 10 of a possible 12 points. Saturday’s victory pushed the Red Bulls into fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
It certainly feels like the Red Bulls are gelling together.
“The best teams find different ways to win,” Bradley said during his post-match press conference. “It doesn’t always play out in the exact way that you hope. To have a team full of guys who are willing to do whatever it takes on nights like this, that’s what separates good players from really good players, and good teams from really good teams.
“We know that we still have to improve. We have to get better.We have to find the right ways to take everything that we wanna do, and make sure that it can hold up in an even stronger way. But in the process to find ways to take points, win games, that part is really important.”
Cameron Harper Makes First-Team Return After Prolonged Absence
A feel-good moment was the return of right-winger Cameron Harper who played his first minutes for the Red Bull New York first team since suffering a knee injury against Austin FC on June 14, 2025.
“Getting him on the field tonight was great,” Bradley said of Harper. “He came on the field at an important time and made some good plays to really help us. [He] has been out for a long time, worked hard to get himself fit, worked hard to now build himself up so that he is ready to play first team minutes.”
Harper nearly scored with one of his first touches of the match, but his shot drifted wide.
Julián Bazán Makes MLS Debut
Defender Julián Bazán also came on late in the match to make his MLS debut. The 20-year-old Colombian joined the Red Bulls from Deportivo Pereira on March 26.
One concern was an injury to winger Cade Cowell, who needed to be replaced by Rafael Mosquera in the 19th minute.
“Cade went over on his ankle and tried really hard to see if he could get himself going, but it was sore,” Bradley explained. “So we’ll obviously do everything we need to with him over the break to make sure when we start up again, he’s ready.”
Captain Emil Forsberg (hip), left-back Matthew Dos Santos (calf) and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (knee) missed Saturday’s match due to injury. Goalkeeper A.J. Marcucci (knee) remains a long-term absence.
The Red Bulls will now head into a long break.
After the break ends, the Red Bulls will return to action on July 22 against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
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