Red Bulls Fall to FC Dallas With a Flat Second Half

By Daniel Feuerstein | Harrison, NJ | May 2nd, 2026

Red Bull New York came back into league play as they hosted FC Dallas to try to break this current four-match winless streak. What started as a promising game in the opening 45 changed dramatically toward the closing 45 and fell apart at home. Their runs didn’t have the same energy as they did in the first half; their demanding of the ball was gone, and once again, they left a space wide open to allow the first goal of the game to Dallas as they found another way to drop the full three points. Nothing connected all match long, and that energy disappeared as the Red Bulls dropped a two-nil result to give FC Dallas the victory.

Petar Musa strikes again

After a strong defensive effort in their own end, the Red Bulls went up the pitch to try and prepare for a scoring chance, but lost the ball, and FC Dallas went to work. Some strong passing plays were happening, but when Ran Binyamin got the ball down the near side, he looked up and saw Petar Musa demanding it. Binyamin crossed it to Musa, who was wide open along the far side. Tim Parker tried to cover that space, but it was already too late as Musa struck the ball one time and hit the inside of the back post and over the line for his tenth of the season in the 54th minute.

Sarver served up the dagger

FC Dallas was hungry to get the ball down the pitch again, and late in the second half, they earned that second goal. Logan Farrington, who came on as a second-half substitute, attacked down the near side and was looking to take a shot. When he took it, Ethan Horvath came well off his line and away from his net to make the stop, but the rebound came back to Farrington, and he saw Samuel Sarver making a run down the far side. He crossed the ball, and Sarver was able to make a header shot into the empty net in the 88th minute to end the night for Dallas and take home the full three points.

A tale of two halves

The Red Bulls started the match with plenty of energy and determination; they wanted to put the ball into the back of the net. While some of the crosses and passes weren’t strong enough, FC Dallas’ defense tightened up in the middle of the park, but the Red Bulls still showed the hunger to get through it. When they returned to the pitch from the locker room after the second-half whistle blew, they looked lethargic and didn’t have the same step they showed at the beginning of the match. I do understand that some of the players are still teenagers, but now is the time to shine for them and show why they have been chosen for their first-team contract. They’ve been touted as the next great players from the Academy, to the MLS Next Pro Team, and in MLS.

While this is now a five-match winless streak and six in all competitions, they have to start shaking off this poor performance and put themselves back on the front foot. They will now rest up and take a full week for their next match, which will be on the road against the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field. They also have four matches left before the World Cup break comes into play, and everyone in the league will enjoy the time off. But right now, there is worry and concern about the product on the pitch, and they must find a way to fix this before it gets worse.

“Yeah, I agree with your assessment. The first half is tight. (FC) Dallas is a team that is organized, athletic, and competitive, so it’s not a game that is going to be wide open. By and large, in the first half, we played pretty well. The second half starts a little bit choppy, with fouls and neither team really getting a grip on things. Then obviously we concede the first goal. And at that point, it’s the most obvious thing in the world to say, but goals change games, especially in tight games. From there, the response to our ability to really push the game, to be relentless, to play forward, to make chances and push back into it, that part wasn’t what it needed to be today,” said Michael Bradley

Red Bull New York falls to FC Dallas with a poor second half performance after a strong first half in the match. They must find a way to fix themselves for their next road match.

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