Red Bull News Network

by Anthony J. Merced New York Red Bulls have announced the signing of 19 year-old Colombian defender Juan Jose Mina. The team has added depth to the defense with this signing which currently consists of captain Sean Nealis, Hassan Ndam and Andres Reyes. "Juan has a lot of qualities that we value in our defenders," said head coach Troy Lesesne. "Especially in the pressing style that we are known for. We believe that Juan will help our roster this season and beyond." Mina joins the team from Deportivo Cali where he made 26 appearances in 2022 and tallying two assists. He has also become a regular in the U-20 national team for his home country of Colombia and looks to be pushing into the main team in the coming years. While it may not be what most fans were expecting, it is the first move of the transfer window for the Red Bulls. The team has a lack of depth in key positions with defense being a major hole that is now filled with the young player. It will still be some

  photo by Matt Kremkau by Daniel Feuerstein What we saw tonight was a player who has really grown up in front of our eyes. Ever since he was brought up from Red Bulls II John Tolkin, has been a sensation as the Left Fullback for the New York Red Bulls for these last several seasons. He continues to improve every single match that has earned him two call-ups to the US Men's National Team and participated in the MLS All-Star Game against Arsenal at Audi Field. We all know his stock is rising and in this Leagues Cup match against Atletico de San Luis, he continues to show why his star is destined to shine the brightest. We can't forget his game-winning penalty against the New England Revolution in the last Leagues Cup match, but tonight he was involved in all three major moments of the match, both positively, and negatively.  He assisted twice helping Dante Vanzeir to convert both goals in the second half for a two goals to one win. He took the majority of the corners at both end

photo by Matt Kremkau by Garry Redman HARRISON, NJ - Last weekend, the Red Bulls began their Leagues Cup campaign on a good note by holding the New England Revolution's high-powered offense scoreless but earned two points by winning the shootout, 5-4. Putting them in a position where they only need a single point to advance to the next round. However, Atlètico de San Luis came in as the more desperate team with their backs against the wall after getting pummeled by New England 4-1 on Wednesday, putting them in a must-win situation for them to advance, setting the stage where everything was on the line for both teams on a pleasantly warm evening in Northern New Jersey. With the two teams facing each other for the first time, there would be an expected "feeling out" period early on. But head coach Troy Lessene was adamant about his team's expectations during the pre-match press conference: "We do not want to play for a draw." Nothing less than thre

  photo from Eurosport by Anthony J. Merced Red Bull Salzburg have lost their Sporting Director to European rival Bayern Munich. The news came a week ago as Freund, who had been with Salzburg in various roles since 2006, departed for a similar spot at one of the biggest clubs in the world. Over his time in Austria, Salzburg went from a dynamic idea to one of the most dominant teams in the history of their country's football. "It was clear to me that I wanted to accept this new challenge," said Freund. "I am very grateful to Salzburg for 17 successful and emotional years, and I will be just as committed to the club in this transfer period as I am known to be." Bayern have taken a liking to Leipzig players, managers and staff in the past. Players like Dayot Upamecano, Marcel Sabitzer and Konrad Laimer have made the move to the giants. Most recently Julian Nagelsmann left his contract early at Leipzig in order to join the Bavarian giants. Now Munich has targeted th

photo by Matt Kremkau by Daniel Feuerstein The New York Red Bulls who slugged it out against the New England Revolution at Red Bull Arena last weekend are getting ready to face an Atletico San Luis side, who just got pounded five goals to one. So as of right now, the result they need is to earn a tie in regulation to advance into the knockout stage, but if they win the penalty kick shootout, then they will be tied on points with the Revs, but depending on goal differential, that's where they will finish in second place.  So a regulation win will propel them to the top of the group to make sure they host a match in the next round at least. But the way they played against the Revolution at Red Bull Arena, doesn't give me any confidence moving forward. Now defensively, I thought the club played strong, and Carlos Coronel did very well staying inside his area and commended the net.  But what's bothering me was their offensive capabilities inside the final third. To me, they loo

Photo by Matt Kremkau HARRISON, NJ - Two of the original MLS rivals squared off in the inaugural Leagues Cup in Red Bull Arena, and since this is a newly created competition by both MLS and Liga MX, anything that took place previously between these two old foes would be considered irrelevant.  While the atmosphere was best described as more fitting for a pre-season friendly, the match began under beautiful blue skies during a warm summer evening in Northern New Jersey. Just prior to kickoff, the teams held a moment of silence for Olivia Knighton, who lost her life recently. The Revolution appreciated the tribute and soldiered on with a heavy heart. Six minutes into the match, Forward Dante Vanzier provided the first shot in anger for the hosts, but his attempt whistled wide to his left after taking a pass from Omir Fernandez on a break. Fourteen minutes later, New York was on the attack once again as midfielder Cameron Harper began to move the ball wide and managed to get a cross acros

photo by Matt Kremkau by Anthony J. Merced New York Red Bulls will be heading into the League's Cup undermanned with news that defender Dylan Nealis will be out indefinitely following core muscle surgery. While the team did say he would be re-evaluated in a few weeks, it can be assumed that he will miss a significant amount of time, including all of the League's Cup. Nealis has made 10 starts and 13 appearances in 2023, helping to anchor the defense with his older brother and New York Red Bulls captain Sean Nealis. With his injury, New York will more than likely continue to use Cameron Harper in a a right-back role in upcoming fixtures. The Red Bulls begin the inaugural League's Cup on Saturday against the New England Revolution, a team that has recent history with New York after a controversial win at Red Bull Arena earlier this month.

Photo by Matt Kremkau                                                                        By Daniel Feuerstein After twenty-three matches have been played in the 2023 Major League Soccer Season we are now getting ready to take a break in our League season to get ready for a brand new venture. That will be the new setup of the latest edition of the tournament called the Leagues Cup. The New York Red Bulls will play against a rival Eastern Conference team in the New England Revolution and a Liga MX team from Mexico in Athletico San Luis in their group stage. The knockout stage will consist of opponents from either another MLS or Liga MX side till they reach either the final or the third-place match to earn a trip to the restructured CONCACAF Champions Cup. If the Red Bulls do make the final and win it, they will automatically go straight to the Round of 16, but if they become a finalist, or win the 3rd place match, they will start their Champions Cup campaign in the brand new first ro

photo by Red Bull Salzburg by Anthony J. Merced Red Bull Salzburg are reloading before the start of the Austrian Bundesliga season with the signing of Brentford midfielder Mads Bidstrup. The 22 year-old Danish player has found it hard making his way into the squad with a most recent loan to FC Nordsjaelland being where he played in the 2022-23 season. "Mads has an incredible mentality and suits our playing style in Salzburg perfectly," said Sporting Director Christoph Freund. "He is very versatile too and can be played anywhere in the midfield. Mads has played in a few different countries and already has quite a bit of experience." Bidstrup only played 14 games for Brentford but a total off 57 in the Danish Superliga in the last two seasons. At such a young age, the move will give Bidstrup more playing time with a club that is a constant in the UEFA Champions League and has dominated the domestic competitions. "I am a player who likes to be aggressive," sa

photo by Matt Kremkau by Anthony J. Merced New York Red Bulls fall 3-1 to Real Salt Lake before the start of Leagues Cup next week, seeing the team slip further and further from an MLS playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. A second minute goal started the downward spiral in Utah with little response from both the coaching staff and players before getting a late goal for minimal hope. "We can't start a game like that," said a frustrated coach Troy Lesesne. "You're putting yourself in a hard position to get back into the game. I really like the changes we made at halftime. I thought that helped us come back into the game." Three halftime changes saw Corey Burke, Luquinhas and Kyle Duncan enter the game. While Troy may have seen better play, the team gave up a second goal in the 53rd minute, almost confirming the team dropping more points. New York has not had a prolific offense in 2023 and a two-goal deficit has not been something the team has easily overcom

photo by ProShots by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig have signed 23 year-old Ligue 1 striker Lois Openda from RC Lens to a five year contract according to the team. Openda has scored 20-plus goals in his last two seasons and is positioned to be the future of the club should he live up to his potential. "The club (RB Leipzig) are amongst the top teams in the Bundesliga," said Openda. "It's an incredibly exciting club and I want to take my next steps at Leipzig." Openda's signing comes after the loss of Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea for a substantial transfer fee. The French international led the league in goals and helped Leipzig win their second straight DFB Pokal trophy. Openda is stepping in to fill massive shoes but has been given the contract that shows they are willing to give him time to develop. "Lois is a very direct player," said Leipzig Board Member Max Ebrel. "In addition to his pace, his ability to score goals with both feet and his h

photo by Matt Kremkau by Daniel Feuerstein As you know I have been very critical of the referees from PRO who have made calls either by the officials on the pitch or off it when it goes to VAR in Atlanta. Multiple issues continue to show how inept this organization has become once Mark Geiger took over for Howard Weeb running this office. All I want and you want these refereeing decisions to be correct and stop creating controversy.  Well, the 2-1 win against the Revolution should've been a 2-2 draw. What we all thought was either passive offside or blocking the line of sight from goalkeeper Carlos Coronel by Giocomo Vrioni. VAR missed the deflection off of Tom Barlow's foot when Andre Farrell blasted the ball back toward the net and hit the inside of the near post and beat Coronel.  So what did PRO do? They made a statement on the situation on Monday, July 10th, and here is that statement below.  " During the MLS match between New York Red Bulls and New England Revolution

photo by Matt Kremkau by Garry Redman HARRISON, NJ - Two late goals, one coming from a penalty, the other on a botched save, allowed FC Cincinnati to come from behind to defeat the Red Bulls 2-1. After defeating New England Revolution 2-1 three days ago, despite the match being mired in controversy from a disallowed goal scored by the visitors, the Red Bulls continue to climb the table but now just sit outside the playoff line. Meanwhile, FC Cincinnati is having a spectacular season thus far, finding themselves on top of the table, both in the conference and the league. The last time these two sides met, FC Cincinnati were the victors as they knocked the Red Bulls out  in the Round of 16 of this season's U.S. Open Cup. The two teams battled once more in a midweek matchup on a warm and muggy evening in Northern New Jersey.  The Red Bulls got on the scoreboard thanks to a penalty conceded by the visitors in the 26th minute as the referee spotted and called a handball on Nick Hagglund

photo by Matt Kremkau by Daniel Feuerstein Big news has come across the news wire as Venezuelan International Midfielder Cristian Casseres Jr. is transferring to French Ligue 1 side Toulouse right away to start this new 2023/24 season. It was reported by Tom Bogert of The Athletic on this news for the young Venezuelan. For Casseres, he spent six seasons with the club as he started 110 times in 116 MLS Games, scoring 14 goals and 19 assists. Last season he compiled over 2,200 minutes and six assists. This season he scored in the four-goal clean sheet victory at Red Bull Arena against Atlanta United. Trailing the play, and taking a nice ball from Tom Barlow and slotted home a strong shot inside the near post.  “We want to thank Cristian [Casseres, Jr.] for his commitment to the club for the last six seasons, said  Head Sport Jochen Schneider . “Cristian always represented the club in a great manner, both on and off the field and we wish him and his family the best in the next step of his

photo by Matt Kremkau by Garry Redman In a match that they fought hard to get back to, the Red Bulls let more than a few opportunities slip through their fingers as a goal in the 62nd minute from s restart allowed the Columbus Crew to defeat the Red Bulls 2-1. After picking up four needed points in their last two matches, the Red Bulls traveled to the capital city of the Buckeye State to face a red-hot Columbus Crew team that has been unbeaten in their last five, with two of those victories at home.  In the game's opening minutes, the Red Bulls faced a potential threat when Cuchuo Hernández managed to get past the New York defenders and attempted a shot. Fortunately, Carlos Coronel was able to save it effortlessly. However, the play was disallowed as the linesman detected that Hernández was offside and signaled for the attack to be nullified. Then in the 14th minute, Columbus was on the attack, threatening to score again. Lucan Zalarayan initiated it by evading defender Andres Reye