Red Bulls Ready for Inter Miami Road Trip & Seeing a Nu Stadium

By Daniel Feuerstein | Harrison, NJ | April 9th, 2026

After a huge win at home, Red Bull New York is taking a road trip to South Florida as they will be the next opponent to take on Inter Miami at their new home near Miami International Airport, as the club will be the second opponent to play at the Nu Stadium. This new crown jewel of a stadium in Major League Soccer is already turning heads from what they have seen on the inside and within the walls. While the stadium will be shining bright, the main job is to focus on playing against Lionel Messi and his friends.

Whenever you face this Inter Miami team, many know you must battle against a veteran of the game like Messi, Luis Suarez, and the other players who have been with him either at Barcelona, Paris St. Germain, or on the Argentine National Team. Without a doubt, facing Messi by himself is a daunting task. Even at the ripe old age of 38, the man is still calculating enough to find a way to create a chance or score a goal. He might not have the speed that he once was able to display, but he is still savvy enough to take down the opposition on the pitch.

Current Red Bull Head Coach Michael Bradley had his opportunity back in the summer of 2016 when he was on the U.S. Men’s National Team and had to face Messi and Argentina in the Copa America Centenario, which was hosted in the United States as a special tournament due to the 100th anniversary of the Championship in South America. They faced each other in the Semi-Finals at RGN Stadium in Houston, Texas, and lost to Argentina. But with Bradley already having played against Messi back then, could that be used as an advantage for him to get a result for the Red Bulls?

“I don’t think there’s any huge advantage there, um, like anybody who loves football and loves the game, and anybody who has watched him so closely over the last 20 years. You see, for me, the best player of all time, you see, a player with so much quality, skill, ease to just do anything that he needs to on the field. You know. The part of having played against him. Sure, I know what that’s like, in certain moments, how he can almost lull you to sleep, and he can appear at certain times, almost disinterested or almost like he’s taking a little bit of a rest, and then you know. The switch flips, and he’s on and alive and ready to take a play and turn it into a goal,” said Michael Bradley.

Michael Bradley is feeling good about his squad as they had a strong week of training. But whenever you face Inter Miami at your house, or at their house, you have to go out there and perform and keep your head screwed on and not be on a swivel. The minute you slow up or don’t pay attention, that’s where he can hurt you with a solid pass or create a goal. One minute he’s not there, the next he’s there and scores. No matter who’s in the net, Messi can create all that magic and bring the house down. Bradley is very aware of what’s in front of him as a head coach.

“We’ve had a good week. We have a good idea of Miami as a team. The interesting thing is always with Messi, and this is really in any team that he plays in. Peace. The part of how they use him, you know, how they are going to use him as a little bit more of a false nine, where they have two wingers that now give a little bit of the reference out wide? Or are they going to use him a little bit more from the right, where then he can move inside and, you know, the dynamic of how they play. Tilts a little bit more that way. So those are some of the things that we watch, and we’re looking at. And as I said, no matter what, we’re going to have a group that is ready when that whistle blows to understand what the game is going to be all about and really try to push things and go after the game.”

For Dylan Nealis, this is a special trip for him as he is facing the club that drafted him and started his MLS career. Of course, that was a long time ago, and he is now with Red Bull New York. But starting this season, he had to partner with Justin Che, but since he suffered a lower-body injury, Robert Voloder has now partnered at centerback with Dylan, and he has done a solid job of keeping things a bit tight in the middle of the park. He knows they will have to be better against Miami, but he has enjoyed playing with either man at Centerback.

“They both bring a calmness to the game. They’re both very good players. Obviously, Robert, with his left foot, helps being on the left side. And just two very technical center-backs. Not afraid to get physical, but also very good with the ball. That helps us in certain scenarios,” said Dylan Nealis.

Of course, traveling down to see the Nu Stadium is going to be an exciting thing for the Red Bulls. I remember when Sports Illustrated Stadium/Red Bull Arena was built and opened for the 2010 season, with Santos FC from Brazil becoming the first club to play, which had a young Neymar at the time, and then the Chicago Fire came for the first MLS match at the Stadium. Scoring the first goal in both games was Estonian attacking midfielder Joel Limpere. But visiting a new stadium for the club will be exciting to watch.

“That’s exciting. It looks like a beautiful stadium. Hopefully, it’s a good atmosphere. I think we’re all up for it. We’re all super excited for it. But nothing new has changed on our end. It’ll be the same principles, same ideas for us. Um, whether it’s, you know, playing against whoever in New Stadium and whatnot, but… I’m just excited to get down there this weekend and stick to our ideas and principles.”

This will be an exciting matchup this weekend, and these young bulls players will need to keep themselves grounded when they see the Argentine superstar go out there to perform against them and show what they are made of. We all know this will be a major step in their progress as professional players; now they need to face one of the best the world has ever seen. This should be a great contest.

Red Bull New York is on their way to South Florida as their next match is on the road at the Nu Stadium and facing Lionel Messi of Inter Miami. This will be a stern test for the young Red Bulls squad as they will battle against a living legend.

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