Julian Hall scored twice in the first half as the New York Red Bulls secured a convincing 2-1 victory over Orlando City in their season opener, marking coach Michael Bradley’s debut.
Hall netted his first goal in the eighth minute with assistance from Emil Forsberg, and then added another in the 40th minute with help from 16-year-old Adri Mehmeti, showcasing the Red Bulls’ strong first-half performance.
New York dominated the first half with a 15-2 advantage in shots and held 54% possession. They earned five corners compared to Orlando City’s none. The expected goals statistic also highlighted New York’s dominance, standing at 3.2 to 0.05 in their favor.
Bradley fielded Mehmeti and two other 17-year-olds, Hall and Matthew Dos Santos, displaying a youthful energy from the start. New signings Jorge Ruvalcaba and Cade Cowell contributed effectively on the wings.
Orlando’s new goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau faced early pressure. In the fifth minute, Ruvalcaba advanced down the left and set up Cowell for a shot, which Crepeau saved.
Forsberg, who has more experience than Mehmeti and Hall combined, contributed significantly last season with 11 goals and 11 assists. He found Hall for an easy finish after breaking through the defense with a clever pass.
The Red Bulls continued to attack relentlessly. In the 11th minute, Ruvalcaba broke through the defense, but Crepeau denied his shot.
New players made notable contributions, with Cowell previously scoring 12 goals for Chivas Guadalajara and Ruvalcaba netting 16 goals at Pumas UNAM. Cowell almost scored with a strike that hit the crossbar.
Despite their control, New York struggled to extend their lead until Hall scored again in the 40th minute.
Both goalkeepers, Crepeau and New York’s Ethan Horvath, made crucial saves to keep the score at 2-0 during the second half.
Griffin Dorsey, making his debut for Orlando, had a goal disallowed for a handball in the 51st minute.
The Lions applied pressure for much of the second half. Martin Ojeda, who scored 16 goals last season, was unable to beat Horvath, who made a critical save in the 70th minute against Dorsey’s left-footed attempt.
Crepeau made a series of outstanding saves in the 85th minute, including a block against Omar Valencia’s long-range shot and Forsberg’s follow-up attempt.
Orlando managed to score in the sixth minute of extra time when Tiago netted a goal from Zakaria Taifi’s assist just before the final whistle.