With the Red Bulls of New York featuring a younger team and a Head Coach in Michael Bradley calling up the some of his MLS Next Pro squad it is going to be fascinating to see how the team and develops and grows during this MLS season.
Getting the MLS Next Pro squad to blend with vets like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Emil Forsberg and the rest of the squad is going nicely so far but the biggest question is going to be how great this Red Bull Squad can be in the 2026 Season.
A taste of the type of heart that they have was shown in Toronto according to Coach Bradley as the guys poured the hearts and souls into the match until they were able to get the game tying goal and vital points from a goal from Choupo.
Coach Bradley along with midfielder Adri Mehmeti were a part of the team’s zoom information session on Thursday and shared thoughts on a wide range of topics including what it was like to give the Toronto match their all, the development of the team and much more.
“For a young and new team early on in the season and to go to Toronto and play the way that we did, to be able to rise up and play the way that we did that is a testimate to the type of team we have,” Coach Bradley said during the team’s zoom information session. “We were playing hard till the end of the match is really important. We said to the group how great it was to see the type of mentality that they had that they were able to show that kind of heart is the thing that we were the most impressed with. Another thing that was great is to be able to see them play and give everything that they had in that match and that to me is the quality of a really good team and we are going to continue to do that and be that team.”
Going into the match against Charlotte the Red Bulls have a history of doing well against their Eastern Conference foes, as overall the guys have a 5 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses record.
The last time the Red Bulls played to a victory it was on May 28, 2025, is when the Red Bulls played to a 4-2 victory, with goals from Mohammed Sofo and Choupo leading the way.
Choupo played a huge role in the match versus Toronto and that was something that Coach Bradley reflected on when it came time for the quality of the player he is and that specific moment for he and the team.
“It is an incredible finish (Choupo’s goal) and the way the ball falls for him with the skill and balance and for him to score the way that he does is incredible. We are excited for Choupo that he got his first goal at such an important time. He is important both on and off the field. He is quality guy and he came through for us in a big moment.”
So far folks are not only seeing those big time moments from Choupo but some of the guys that were developed in the team’s Academy and the MLS Next Pro System.
A name that has many fan’s buzzing so far is that of Mehmeti as thus far the Midfielder is named to MLS Team Matchday of the week of the Week Twice thanks to his fine play.
How impressive is Mehmeti so far, well let’s just say even though we are five matches into the season officialy they are saying teams such as FC Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-German and Chelsea FC are keeping tabs on him so far.
Mehmeti has himself an impressive resume thus far as in addition to being named to the MLS Team Matchday of the Week, and is currently tied for the most assists in MLS through the first two matches of the season.
During his time with the Red Bulls II squad Adri was a huge part of the team’s championship run, and not only that but he was able to get the call to the call to the US Youth National Team along with the Albania Youth National team.
Adri with the US Youth National team made seven apperances and scored a goal, to go along with scoring a goal with the Albania U-15 National Team in three appearances thus far.
Mehmeti joins a roster that is filled with teammates from the MLS Next Pro Championship run and a part of the youth moment the team is having and had this to say on being a part of that thus far,”It all comes time for training every day. Coach Bradley is doing great to show everyone that they are going to work hard in training. For me personally, I take things day by day and game by game. I am going to continue to develop the way I play with and without the ball and get better game by game.”
“Every day in training Coach Bradly is giving me tips and how I can improve,” said Adri. “Coach is giving me a ton of confidence in the way that I play. I am just very thankful he has that trust in me.”
Even though this is the first time that Adri is going to face Charlotte he already is seeing a ton of what to expect on the match on 3/21 giving this analysis during the team’s information session, “I’ve been watching a ton of Charlotte matches and they are an attack minded teams especially with all those players from Europse. It is going to be important for us to play defense.”
When it comes time for the Charlotte’s midfield play Mehmeti had this to say, “Looking at the midfield play Charlotte has an experienced midfield and they have other guys that are looking to play often. They are going to come out and get a result, but we are going to give everything that we can and go for a win.”
From Staten Island, New York there is for sure a ton of buzz on Adri thus far as scouts and fans a like feel as if he has a great football IQ, passing ability and is able to control the game from the midfield. He along with Tanner Rosborough are going to be a part of the team’s youth movement.
Fans can see our exclusive one-on-one with Tanner prior to the moment where he was able to sub in the match versus Toronto can be seen by clicking on the link below:
Red Bulls prepare for Test Against Toronto | 1495Sports
Thanks to the practice sessions that Tanner is putting in he was able to get those quality minutes against Toronto and that is something that Coach Bradley talked about saying that, “Tanner is getting better every day and he is another player we are going to push him and he is showing really good things and he is growing in every way as we are putting things together. When it came time to getting Rosborough in as a sub Coach Bradley had this to say,” As the match in Toronto was progressing we were going to get Tanner minutes that match and we are excited for that and are going to look into ways to getting him opportunities. He is earning these moments especially with the way he is developing in training.”
It is going to be everyone all playing together and showing that heart and resilience that is going to be key when it comes time for continunining to gain points on the road.
The biggest thing for the Red Bulls is for them to be able to continue to show the quality and hear that they were able to against Toronto and that is something that Coach Bradley reflected on by saying, “The team wants a result very weekend the important for us every single time we step on the field, to be take our ideas and to play football is going to be very important. “He continued to say. “We want to be able to play matches and go after things and points in a strong way”
The match between the Red Bulls and Charlotte is scheduled for March 21 and the start of the match scheduled for 7:30 p.m. With fans wanting to find more information on the team can do so by clicking on the link seen here: