If you polled Red Bull New York supporters before the season, very few would have expected the club to be in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings one week before the 2026 FIFA World Cup break.
At the moment, the Red Bulls are ahead of schedule through 14 league matches played. It remains to be seen whether the squad possesses enough quality and depth to return to the MLS Cup playoffs after missing out last season.
First-year MLS head coach Michael Bradley has gotten the most out of a youthful roster that underwent massive offseason changes and lacks natural central defenders and impact subs.
Head of sport Julian de Guzman will have the opportunity to strengthen weak points when the Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 13.
For now, let’s take a closer look at the five Red Bulls who have performed the best in the early months under Bradley.
1. Adri Mehmeti
Mehmeti was 16 when the season began, and he has quickly shown why he belongs. The 17-year-old midfielder has started all 14 MLS matches in his rookie season. He appears to be on track to one day represent the United States men’s national team should he opt for the Stars and Stripes over Albania.
His calmness and composure on the ball are rare for a teenager who is just getting his feet wet in the MLS against seasoned pros. Those traits stood out to Chicago Fire FC head coach Gregg Berhalter, who previously spent two stints as USMNT head coach.
“Mehmeti is very calm on the ball,” Berhalter said earlier this month. “Prototypical Spanish [style] No. 6 that plays one-two touches, very enjoyable player.”
Mehmeti excels at making line-breaking passes and has recorded one goal and four assists so far this season.
He is very much in the mold of former Spanish national team great Sergio Busquets, and if he becomes a quarter of the player that Busquets was, he’ll have a long and distinguished career.
2. Julian Hall
Bradley has leaned on the energy, pace and defensive work of Hall over veteran forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting as the Red Bulls’ No. 9, and that decision has paid off handsomely.
Hall has collected nine goals and two assists through 14 league matches, and like Mehmeti, he appears destined for international stardom. It’s unclear whether he will choose the United States or Poland.
His tireless pressing is reminiscent of former Liverpool star Roberto Firmino’s counterpressing under legendary former manager and head of global soccer for Red Bull GmbH, Jürgen Klopp.
The 5-foot-10 forward is modeling his game after Firmino, Ousmane Dembélé and Julián Alvarez.
“I’ve used both those examples with you guys before in terms of Julian,” Bradley said last week. “Firmino, in his time at Liverpool, the work that he did playing in between [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mané, his ability to get goals and be dangerous, but also the work that he did against the ball to chase and press and come underneath and really make things difficult on the other teams.
“Julián Alvarez, another good example. Obviously, you look at a guy like Dembélé and what he has been, what Luis Enrique has been able to do with him at PSG and obviously Hall’s profile is not the exact same as any of those guys. With all of your young players, you’re always trying to help them connect the dots between the qualities that they have, their profile and players at the top level and what that looks like and how they can ultimately take who they are as players and make sure that their qualities can hold up as the games get harder and as the level goes up.”
Hall is the genuine article and already a complete forward at just 18 years of age.
3. Ronald Donkor
Donkor has thrived in an increased role after the Red Bulls moved on from Daniel Edelman and Peter Stroud in the offseason.
The 21-year-old Ghanaian has accelerated his growth under Bradley and has put in several standout displays as a box-to-box midfielder.
“Ronnie has really good, really good qualities, really good starting points,” Bradley said last Friday. “He loves to play, he loves to train. He has so much life and personality, and one of the things that I knew was going to be important when I started with the first team was finding a way to get the best out of Ronnie, because he has really, really interesting qualities.
“I think obviously the team plays differently this year than they did last year, and so I think we count on Ronnie in a big way, as an eight in the center of the field, terms of his ability to help us play, his press resistance, the way that he can take balls in tight spots, and find the right solutions, and obviously he’s very active, he covers a lot of ground, he helps us in a big way against the ball, terms of his stepping up, his pressing, his ability to move from inside out when we need it, and so we’re really pleased with his progress, and he’s another player that I know still has a lot more to come.”
Donkor has scored one goal and provided four assists through 13 MLS appearances this season.
4. Justin Che
Che’s value to the Red Bulls was clear for all to see when he missed seven MLS matches due to a hamstring injury suffered on March 14 in Toronto.
Though he’s more natural at right-back, Che has been used centrally and adapted quickly to playing in the heart of the Red Bulls’ defense.
“Justin is an intelligent defender that has great speed and will help add to our backline this upcoming season,” Bradley said last December. “He has played a lot of minutes all across Europe and will be another great person to add to our roster to help our club accomplish its goals.”
Che has appeared in seven league matches after arriving from Danish side Brøndby IF. He’s completed 89 percent of his passes.
5. Jorge Ruvalcaba
Though it took some time for Ruvalcaba to adapt to Bradley’s high-intensity system and the demands of Major League Soccer, he has raised his performances lately and is demonstrating outstanding chemistry with fellow winger Cade Cowell and Hall in New York’s front three.
“George [had] really, really good games and really good moments,” Bradley stated on May 13.
He’s scored quite a few spectacular solo efforts and demonstrated plenty of trickery. The 24-year-old was recently named to Mexico’s 55-player preliminary squad ahead of the World Cup.
Ruvalcaba has scored five goals through 14 MLS appearances.
More Red Bull New York Coverage
Enjoyed this story? Follow us for the latest updates! | Bluesky | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Leave a Reply