Red Bull New York escaped Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday night with a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire, keeping their place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture while also avoiding a three-game losing streak. While there is much to improve on, head coach Michael Bradley took major risks in the second half and explained why his five early substitutes were necessary to chance the course of the game.
“It wasn’t that we played terribly in the first half, we were just low on energy,” said Bradley to the media. “Our football wasn’t as good and you play against a team that has ideas about using their center-backs really deep, spreading themselves out really far apart and using double width. It all came together in a way where we couldn’t get a good grip on the game.”
Chicago closed down New York’s opportunities in the first half and found their own towards the 40th minute when Maren Haile-Selassie took a shot from the top of the 16-yard box to beat goalkeeper Ethan Horvath. It put the pressure on Red Bull who had already failed to score one week prior at home against Nashville SC, despite putting on a good performance in most aspects of the field.
Bradley’s hand was pushed at the start of the second half when Cade Cowell was forced off due to a concussion, handing both teams a sixth substitute. The young coach took advantage by using five of his options before the 60th minute. Some of the changes included Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting who has seen his minutes drastically diminished in 2026. Partially injuries have forced Red Bull to bench him with rumors of unhappiness also surrounding the relationship between player and club. This time, Choupo-Moting used his minutes to make an impact, finding 85th minute substitute Cameron Harper for the equalizer.
“We just felt like we needed energy,” said Bradley when defending his decision for so many changes. “We needed fresh legs on the field so that we could really try to tilt the balance in our favor, step up and go after them in more aggressive ways.”
Much has to also be made of the MLS schedule which has seen Red Bull play three games in the last seven days. Despite the World Cup being over, the Leagues Cup has created more issues and New York had to deal with that while also managing injuries and fatigue. They club didn’t make much of an impact coming out of the break as they only have one win. Next week they’ll have to continue their battles against in-form teams as Philadelphia Union visit Sports Illustrated Stadium.
photo from Red Bull New York