The international break came at a convenient time for both FC Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls.
Cincinnati enjoyed a win heading into the short MLS hiatus, while the Red Bulls recognized the need to recharge and refocus during training. Both teams, with two wins each, will meet on Saturday in Harrison, N.J.
FC Cincinnati (2-3-0, 6 points) faced heavy losses before the break, losing 6-1 to the New England Revolution on March 15 and 5-1 to Mexico’s Tigres UANL on March 19, which eliminated them from the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Goalkeeper Roman Celentano conceded all 11 goals and then injured himself in practice.
Evan Louro stepped in as goalkeeper and led Cincinnati to a 4-3 victory against CF Montreal on March 22. Cincinnati was down a player after Miles Robinson received a red card in the 60th minute, but Tom Barlow equalized in the 80th minute, and Kevin Denkey scored the winning goal in stoppage time.
“It feels better to enter the break with three points,” Louro said this week. “The mood is lifted… This group does well to stay grounded, focusing on what we need to do next.”
It remains uncertain who will be in goal for Saturday’s match—Celentano or Louro. Both Louro and defender Matt Miazga are from New Jersey and came through the Red Bulls’ youth program, making this game a homecoming for them. Barlow also spent time with the Red Bulls from 2018 to 2023.
“This area is special,” said first-year New York coach Michael Bradley. “The soccer community here is tight-knit and strong. The connections never feel far away.”
The Red Bulls (2-2-1, 7 points) have struggled after a strong start, suffering a 6-1 loss to Charlotte FC before the break.
“We’ve had moments of success and times when we haven’t capitalized on our chances,” Bradley said. “In some cases, we didn’t take advantage of our strong performances, which led to costly mistakes.”
He also praised Cincinnati’s coach Pat Noonan and midfielder Evander, who is yet to score this season after netting 18 goals last year.
Cincinnati will need to watch out for young talent Julian Hall, who has scored four of New York’s five goals so far.
“The energy in training has been positive,” Noonan said. “Now we need to translate that into our performance in the next 24 hours.”