Reviewing Red Bulls Leagues Cup Matches

For the Red Bulls’ third consecutive Leagues Cup tournament, they ended their run going three and out by not scoring enough goals to put them into the quarterfinals in this newly revamped edition. They faced Chivas of Guadalajara, Monterrey, and FC Juarez in their group stage matches. While they performed admirably, they still couldn’t get the job done in the goal scoring department.

Six Points Out of Nine

The Red Bulls opened at home as the road team against Chivas de Guadalajara and ended that match in second half stoppage time with a winning free kick by the captain, Emil Forsberg. Earning two draws at Cincinnati against CF Monterrey and at home against FC Juarez, winning one of two penalty kick shootouts in the last two games.

A.J. Marcucci Stands Tall In Goal

In the two home games at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Marcucci was in perfect position to make nearly all of the saves, except for one by Oscar Estupinan, who headed in his tying goal in the 87th minute of FC Juarez as the ball deflected off of Marcucci’s left arm and past him. In the penalty kick shootout, he made two consecutive saves off of Rodolfo Pizarro as Marcucci dove to his left, but jumped off his line too early, yet stopped the retaking by diving to his right.

The Kids got the Majority of the Minutes

While Superstars like Forsberg and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting were used as substitutes, the kids were given multiple minutes to battle these great Mexican Clubs from Liga MX. Julian Hall scored against Monterrey for the lead, and the first team introduction for Costa Rica International Midfielder Andy Rojas, and Chilean left fullback Marcelo Morales.

While they did show some nerves against FC Juarez, Rojas was decent but made too many turnovers. For Morales, he was active, decisive, and made strong challenges to steal the ball and started attacking runs. His free kick looping ball to Dylan Nealis at the far post was placed perfectly and dropped right on Dylan’s head for the snap heading shot.

Not Enough Offense

While they had a solid defensive game, the Red Bulls still struggled to score more than one goal in each match. If they hadn’t hit the post twice against Monterrey and had a better first half in both home games at Sports Illustrated Stadium, they might have been able to win all three games and avoided the penalty shootout. When they finish their remaining nine games of the regular season, they must score multiple times in each game.

Is There Confidence Back?

Even though they earned six points in these three Leagues Cup games, is it enough for the Red Bulls to have their confidence return to push them forward to retake a playoff spot? They must also play their rescheduled US Open Cup quarterfinal match at the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, August 13th, down at Subaru Park after torrential rain with thunder and lightning drenched the pitch and they couldn’t start the match at all.

These are some of the questions that are on the feet of head coach Sandro Schwarz, as he must now navigate carefully the stretch run toward the end of the 2025 regular season. The hope is to reclaim a playoff spot and the attempt to move on to the Semi-Finals of the 2025 US Open Cup. A lot of eyes will be on Schwarz, the club, and the front office to see how this regular season will end.

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