New York Red Bulls suffered a crushing 1-0 loss to Chicago Fire FC on Saturday night, moving their playoff hopes into doubt as the club falls out of the top 9. To make matters worse, New York has lacked any punch on the road, garnering their unfortunate eighth loss away from SI Stadium. That fact has haunted the club as their home record has kept them afloat where all but one of their wins have been gathered.
“It’s difficult now to just feel positive,” said defender Noah Eile after the game. “I think we tried everything today. We put it all out there and unfortunately came up short in a weird situation. Now it’s about regrouping.”
That weird situation that Eile mentioned is the game’s only goal which came in the 44th minute when Chicago was awarded a stiff penalty via video review. A diving Alexander Hack caught a pass from Chicago within the box. By the letter of the law the referee had every right to hand down the penalty. However, we’ve seen such plays interpreted as unintentional contact in the past. Still, Chicago was able to convert and New York was unable to manage their offense in the second half.
The frustration among players and coaching staff is also apparent given the team’s options. Their recent home win against New England, where they trailed after 45 minutes buy two goals, proved that they have the ability and resources to mount a comeback. However, it did not happen at Soldier Field and the club’s frustrations has them looking for answers as they head into Leagues Cup.
“We tried everything,” said head coach Sandro Schwarz after the game. “I can’t say that we didn’t run or fight or something like that. At this moment, it’s a bit typical for us the way we lost today. This game was a penalty situation. We had a lot of good situations in the final third where you have to cross or go in one against one. At the end, in these moments to create momentum, especially on the road, which is very important, we have some many moments sitting in where we can create this and we didn’t win.”
It can’t be lost on the team or fans that injuries have plagued the club. Two top level attackers in Lewis Morgan and Cameron Harper have missed significant time in 2025. While Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has provided the striker spark the team has sought, they lack the creativity that players like Morgan and Harper were able to create. The seesaw-nature of player development also creates challenge. Mohammed Sofo is an example where he experience tremendous highs and moments of extreme lows.
For now. New York Red Bulls have to shift focus as the club switches gears and enters the Leagues Cup group stage. Their first game will be at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Thursday against legendary Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara. From there the club will play Monterrey and Juarez to close out the first phase.
photo by Matt Kremkau