For the First Time Since the pre-Thierry Henry Era, the New York Red Bulls Officially Fail to Qualify For the Playoffs
- Daniel Rebain
- 19 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The New York Red Bulls, a consistent playoff presence in the Eastern Conference for the past 15 years, are set to have an early fall/winter vacation for the first time since 2009.
With their 5-3 victory over Inter Miami Tuesday night, the Chicago Fire officially clinched the final playoff spot in the East, leaving Red Bull on the outside looking in for the first time in a generation.
The Red Bulls held the longest active playoff streak in the top five American sports, making the playoffs for 15 consecutive years. That clock will reset to zero beginning in 2026.
Ever since the club moved in 2010 from the Meadowlands in East Rutherford to Red Bull Arena, now Sports Illustrated Stadium, in Harrison, the playoffs were a given, even in years when the team just narrowly qualified for the postseason.
The Red Bulls' mediocre play finally caught up to them in 2025, and their goal of returning to MLS Cup Final is officially dead with two games left in their season. It was a slow death for supporters; tensions were beginning to boil over, but their pain will be prolonged no more as the sun sets on another disappointing season for New York.
What Went Wrong?
When looking back at the 2025 New York Red Bulls, the biggest red flag for the club was how this roster was constructed by head of sport Jochen Schneider.
The two superstars at Red Bull exceeded expectations. Headline winter signing Eric Choupo-Moting scored 17 goals and registered four assists, while captain Emil Forsberg became the first New York player with a 10-goal & 10-assist MLS season since Thierry Henry. Other than the two DPs, there were hardly any impact players this season for Sandro Schwarz.
Lewis Morgan, the presumed third option in the attack, played just 148 minutes, dealing with another injury-plagued year. Cam Harper's season ended early after a good start to the season. Promising U-22 guys like Wiktor Bogacz and Dennis Gjengaar couldn't crack the starting lineup.
Plain and simple, the secondary scoring was non-existent this year. The Designated Players did all the heavy lifting throughout the season to give this team a sliver of hope, but the rest of the team no-showed, except for a handful of players. What could go wrong did go wrong for Red Bull.
Former Red Bull captain and now Apple TV commentator Dax McCarty said what everyone was thinking out loud, calling this roster flawed. This team had one player from their U22/TAM slots make a major impact in 2025, that being Noah Eile.
There are some major decisions that this club needs to make over the next few weeks. But, before any roster decisions are made, the main question will be, should Jurgen Klopp and Mario Gomez bring back Jochen Schneider and head coach Sandro Schwarz in 2026? Once that question is answered, then roster decisions can be made.
This New York roster has a lot of dead weight that needs to be cut off. Unfortunately, Lewis Morgan has become an injury-prone player, but he should be the first player the Red Bulls look to trade this winter.
Alexander Hack should be the next to follow him out the door. An excellent technical centerback in his day, but the speed of the game has passed him by. Wikelman Carmona earning $500,000 a season is self-explanatory; one assist in 32 games (21 starts) is unacceptable. Dennis Gjengaar, occupying a U22 slot, has been relegated to the second team.
New York has seen too many signings the past couple of seasons bust, and it finally caught up to them in 2025. This failure not only cost the club a playoff spot, but potentially people's jobs.
For now, there are just two games left in the 2025 season. In their home finale at Sports Illustrated Stadium, the Red Bulls take on FC Cincinnati on October 4th, before ending the regular season on October 18th on the road in Columbus.
Red Bull is in for a long and painful winter, with plenty of decisions to make as we enter a World Cup year on American soil just nine months away. The playoff streak has ended, but maybe that could be a positive thing for the club if it ends up sparking dramatic change on Melanie Lane this winter.
