The Red Bulls Are One "Big" Win Away from the Final Eight of Leagues Cup
- Daniel Rebain
- Aug 7, 2025
- 4 min read
Photo credit: New York Red Bulls PR
Over the past decade, the New York Red Bulls haven't had the best of luck in tournament games, whether that is the US Open Cup or Leagues Cup. Just once in the past ten years has Red Bull made it to the final of a knockout tournament, losing to Sporting Kansas City in the 2017 US Open Cup Final.
Their luck hasn't been any better in the Leagues Cup, a tournament that expanded to include all MLS and Liga MX clubs in 2023, a "Champions League"- like tournament held in the middle of the regular season.
Coming into the 2025 edition of the tournament, New York had lost their last three games all in penalties, including a Round of 16 showdown with Philadelphia in 2023. This year has been a different story, and Red Bull has gotten off to a good start through two matches, with the team sitting on four points.
Heading into the final match day, chances of advancing are slim for Sandro Schwarz's team, but with a four-plus-goal victory at home tonight against Juárez, the Red Bulls will likely see themselves in the final eight of Leagues Cup.
A Win at the Death (MD1)
On match day one, New York hosted Chivas Guadalajara, a team that still haunts Red Bull fans from their 2018 CONCACAF Champions semi-final defeat. This time around, New York walked away victorious.
Sandro Schwarz fielded a heavily rotated squad, with regulars like Eric Choupo-Moting, Emil Forsberg, and Carlos Coronel starting on the bench in favor of a younger side. That risk paid off and Red Bull grew into the game in the second half.
With Choupo and Forsberg on the field in the final seconds, New York's superstars delivered. On the edge of the penalty box, Choupo drew a foul, and with the last kick of the game, captain Emil Forsberg scored the game-winning goal in front of the south ward to steal all three points for Red Bull.
"I saw a lot of people in front of the keeper, so I thought I'd go that way, and it worked out," said Forsberg. A fantastic feeling to get the win in that last moment for us, after some hard weeks, a very good feeling. Everybody should be proud of themselves for what they did today. So, enjoy tonight and tomorrow we're back to hard work."
This year, only the top four teams from each league will move on. Getting three points in the first game was "huge" according to goalkeeper AJ Marcucci, who made three critical saves in the win.
"I mean, there are limited spots left. There are four teams that make it through, so it's huge for us to get that first win and get a boost of confidence."
A Potentially Critical Point Lost (MD2)
A regulation win on match day one was a good way to start Leagues Cup, but first Schwarz and his team would have to earn a result on the road against Monterrey on match day two in Cincinnati, Ohio.
To begin the game, Red Bull got off to a much better start than they're used to, taking the lead off the foot of 17-year-old starlet Julina Hall in the 19th minute. Hall has struggled to earn playing time for the senior team this season, seeing just a couple of starts and mainly being a late-game substitute for Sandro Schwarz.
Against Rayodos, Julian came to play and, with a burst of speed, slipped past legendary center back Sergio Ramos to give the Red Bulls an important 1-0 lead with his left foot.
"Julian [Hall] against Sergio Ramos, that's great to see," said Schwarz. "To be honest, with a 17-year-old guy to play against 39 with a lot of experience. Everyone knows about the quality of Sergio Ramos."
The lead wouldn't last for Red Bull, with Monterrey equalizing in the 38th minute with a rebound goal from Sergio Canales.
New York played one of its most consistent games of the season on Sunday night, but it wasn't enough to earn three points. They had multiple chances to take the lead; Moahmmed Sofo hitting the post point blank, Sofo then not sending a wide-open Emil Forsberg through on goal, and finally Ronald Donkor not passing and giving Wiktor Bogacz a breakaway from midfield.
Onto penalties, and once again, spot kicks would come to haunt the Red Bulls. Bogacz, Noah Eile, and Daniel Edelman stepped up and all scored. Alexander Hack, the second penalty taker, would see his shot saved. Rayodos would go on to convert all five of their penalties and earn the very critical second point that was up for grabs.
"Overall, I thought it was a great performance from the team," said goal scorer Julian Hall. "You know, we came up short in the end on pens, but I think overall, we showed that we're a good team and we can compete in a tournament like Leagues Cup."
What's At Stake Tonight
Heading into the final match day and sitting on four points, the Red Bulls know what they need to do against Juárez: win the game and score a minimum of four goals. If they increase their goal difference up to +5, they are very likely to finish in the top four of MLS teams.
Here is my projected starting XI, with kickoff set for 7:30 pm at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
It won't be easy for Sandro Schwarz and New York. Juárez is in the same position as the Red Bulls and a victory guarantees the Mexican side a top-four finish. With both teams pushing for the three points, we will each coach's strongest XI and expect fireworks.
For Red Bull, this is the opportunity to exercise their demons of the past League Cup disappointments and show their fans, and most importantly themselves, that they can play up to the pressure when it matters most.
"I think we're a great team, said Julian Hall. "If we can start scoring more goals, we'll be one of the best. So, going into Thursday, well, we'll be looking forward to doing that."
