Red Bull New York bucked the odds on Saturday with a huge 3-1 win over Chicago Fire FC, particularly since winger Cade Cowell scored his first goal for the club. The California native has been effective in the early part of the season but had yet to see his name on the scoresheet. Others like Julian Hall and Jorge Ruvalcaba had already found their stride but Cowell still trailed their output. That ended in the second half in Soldier Field as his speed and accuracy was more than enough to net his first goal as a Red Bull.
“Attackers want to score goals,” said head coach Michael Bradley about Cowell’s drought after the game. “The part of rewarding themselves, the part of being able to add to all of the other good work that they’re doing, that part is really important. Cade is a really, really good guy, really a hard worker. For sure the part of not having scored was weighing on him in little ways. From that standpoint, I’m really happy he could get his first goal that comes at a really important time.”
Cowell is part of an important youth movement for Red Bull in 2026. Gone, or minimized, are many of the veteran forwards of previous seasons. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has seen his minutes coming as a substitute while Lewis Morgan departed the club in the off-season. In their places are the youth of Hall, the dynamic runs of wingback Matthew Dos Santos and the progressive, attack-first, mindset of Adri Mehmeti.
As a collaborator, Cowell has already found his place within the group. The 22 year-old already had three assists before scoring his first goal with the club. His movement has been dynamic, passing the eye-test but still looking for that decisive moment. Now that he has it, confidence should take hold at a time when Red Bull desperately needs a push heading into the final three games before the FIFA World Cup break.
“It is a little later than what I wanted,” said Cowell about the timing of his first goal. “I feel like I’ve been playing well previously. We’ve been playing well as a team. It’s still new, this is my 10th game. And for a lot of the guys too, so we’re just building chemistry still, day-to-day.”
That chemistry has certainly been put to the test with the club’s condensed schedule. The month of April saw New York play a staggering seven games in all competitions. The month of May has already presented a similar challenge with two in the books and three more before the break. A good showing against Columbus on Wednesday, followed by the Hudson River Derby on Saturday, should have the club in good standing to push as a major player in the playoff race heading into the back half of 2026.
photo by Matt Kremkau