It took only one match for Red Bull New York’s new head coach, Michael Bradey, to make it abundantly clear that he is not averse to taking some significant gambles.
While opening night is usually an opportunity to field a healthy, full-strength lineup, the US men’s national team legend called on the kids to start New York’s MLS opener on Saturday night in Orlando. Rather than last year’s leading scorer and former Bayern Munich man Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Bradley penciled in 17-year-old Julian Hall as the central striker. In the midfield, 16-year-old Adri Mehmet, fresh off an offseason stint training with German powerhouses RB Leipzig, got the call, while 17-year-old Matthew Dos Santos slotted in at left back.
It was the first time in MLS history that a team had ever started three players 17 or younger in the same match, and it paid off.
Hall’s first-half brace, which featured an assist on his second from Memheti, paced Red Bull to a season-opening 2-1 victory over Orlando City on Saturday night — as good a start as the Bradley era could have had.
“We’re all really grateful for the coaching staff trusting us,” Hall said. “Me, Adri, and Matty came through the academy and fought so hard to get to this position. It was an amazing opportunity, and we’re happy to get the three points.”
Hall opened the scoring in the eighth minute after captain Emil Forsberg received a pass from Cade Cowell on the right wing, cut through the Orlando defense into the box, and got around the keeper practically onto the goal line well to the right of the near post. His centering ball found an open Hall in the middle, who tapped it in.
In the 40th minute, off a corner that was deflected away from the left post, Mehmeti haphazardly stuck a leg out and sent the ball straight up, and somehow, he got his head on it. As it bounced around the feet of Orlando defenders, he came away with it and sent a low ball to the left post, where Hall was able to redirect it into the roof of the net.
Right place, right time for both. But it takes a certain instinct to get to the open space near the goal in the first place.
“Julian is a really talented young player,” Bradley said. “It’s easy to forget how young he still is because he’s been a professional for a few years. But he has really big qualities, and we’ve gotta keep pushing him so he can take the next step. Tonight was a really good start for him… We were all really excited for him to take a good preseason and turn it into a really strong performance right away.”
Both Hall and Choupo-Moting stand to greatly benefit from Bradley’s new vision for Red Bull. Cowell and fellow winger Jorge Ruvalcaba, both of whom are new acquisitions from Liga MX, lived up to the hype of the speedy, dynamic playmakers they were billed as.
“We felt like it was a game that set up well for us,” Bradley said. “We knew that it was going to be a real challenge in every way, but we also felt that our way of playing, our speed, our football could challenge them. The part of taking advantage of Cade, of Jorge, of Julian, their movement, their speed, that part was important.”
“Michael did a great job of setting me up in the system to be as much of a threat as possible,” Hall added. “The feeling is amazing.”
Consider this a first statement of intent from a Red Bull team that has significant questions still surrounding it. A new-look roster features an incomplete back line and a midfield spot or two up for grabs alongside Forbserg. But goals should be plentiful, and Hall is poised to add a nice punch with Choupo-Moting this season.
“We’re kind of a newer team, but the main thing is we’re coming out to show who we are and what Red Bull are,” Hall said.
