Red Bull New York has always been an organization that priorities youth development. Even during the years when players like Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill and Rafa Marquez patrolled the field, the club developed contributors that not only bettered the team but made their way to their respective national teams. Players like Tim Ream, who featured in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, joined the likes of Tyler Adams and Derrick Etienne Jr. displayed their abilities as well. That pathway is essential to the club’s future and the formation of Red Bull New York II in 2016 has solidified the importance of the process.
“We’re always going to be a club that tries to take advantage of the pathway from our academy to the second team on into the first team,” said Michael Bradley during the MLS break. “We still want to have a team that steps on the field to win, steps on the field to compete, steps on the field to play the football we want but does it all in a way that develops our young players and prepares them for the next step of the first team.”
This season that developmental tree has bore fruit as Julian Hall is not only one of the leading scorers in MLS but also an All Star in his first season as a starter. Andres Mehmeti and Matthew Dos Santos have also shown their importance in the club. Years earlier, Ronald Donkor, Roald Mitchell and Mohammed Sofo have proven to be reliable for the coaching staff as well.
Red Bull II’s 2025 MLS Next Pro championship showed that the work being put into the club is working on the field while the number of starters in 2026 proves that development is happening at a quick rate. That conversion is essential for Red Bull as they know that certain players will depart the club before reaching their full potential. It is something that happened with countless players, including the current head coach.
“We’re really lucky when you think about New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, a tri-state area,” said Bradley about the player pool available to the club. “We want to be a club that develops young players, plays young players and wins with young players. We do all of that in a way that also moves them along for the next step in their career.”
Red Bull will still have over a week left in their break before resuming the 2026 MLS season. Currently the club sits in fifth place, better than where some pundits saw the rookie coach being able to take the unproven roster. The rest has been a benefit for veteran players like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg. Next week the look to focus on the Philadelphia Union and the resumption of the campaign.
photo by Matt Kremkau