Red Bull New York has signed Belgian youth international defender Joyeux Masanka Bungi from Red Bull Leipzig of the German Bundesliga on a short-term loan through June 30.
There is no purchase option at the end of it.
The 19-year-old is a natural midfielder who has plenty of experience at left back throughout his development. New York head coach Michael Bradley said that Bungi will be utilized as a defender during his time with the MLS side.
With Red Bull’s back line currently in flux, Bradley used Justin Che as a center back in the season opener against Orlando City and was forced to start 17-year-old Matthew Dos Santos at left back. Bungi is a more polished option out on the left and provides more depth at the position should Che have to stay at that center-back position.
In an offseason in which they parted ways with center backs Sean Nealis, Alexander Hack, and Noah Eile — while only bringing in Robert Voloder so far — New York remains active on the transfer market with the center-back position still being a priority, sources tell amNewYork.
Joining Leipzig’s academy from KRC Genk (Belgium), Bungi scored 10 goals with eight assists across 56 appearances with the youth sides. He earned a professional contract in February of 2025 and was named to the first-team matchday squad for the first time in December for a match against Union Berlin.
The move to New York, though, will allow him to get concrete, regular playing time to help further his development toward being a key piece of a club that is one of the very best in Germany and is a perennial presence in the UEFA Champions League.
“This is a great opportunity to mature as a player and as a person at a high level and in a new league,” RB Leipzig managing director for sport, Marcel Schäfer, said. “In New York, he’ll have the chance to get more match practice at a senior level. We believe a loan move to MLS can accelerate his development, and we see his future in Leipzig afterwards.”
