Red Bulls Scored, and Scored on Themselves in Loss at Nashville SC

By Daniel Feuerstein | Nashville, TN | November 1st, 2026

Red Bull New York Flew to Music City as they were looking to get a positive result and stay alive in their hopes of getting back over the playoff line and forcing things on decision day the next weekend of the regular season. When they played Nashville SC, they had a great start and looked to take home a big win, but they shot themselves in the foot, and then the killer goal by Nashville ended their hopes and dreams of getting themselves back into the playoffs, as the Red Bulls are done with one match left with a final score of three goals to two.

Big setup for the opening goal

After Cade Cowell’s penalty was thwarted in the 19th minute, the Red Bulls continued to play their game, and they continued to look good and threatened Nashville’s net. As the ball was milling around in the midfield, Tim Parker had the ball on the midfield stripe and made a quick pass to the middle to Sekou Kone. He took a couple of steps forward and made a strong pass to Adri Mehmeti, but all of a sudden, Mehmeti made a quick touch and turn to release the ball into the path of Julian Hall, as the young striker got in front of the ball and smashed a hard shot inside the near post for the opening goal in the 34th minute.

Mosquera finally converts his first MLS Goal

The Red Bulls continued to play well on the pitch as they collected the ball around the midfield. A bit of a pass back by Jorge Ruvalcaba saw the ball go towards Devin Padelford, who quickly saw an opening by kicking the ball down towards the near side and found Cade Cowell with a bender that bounced in front of Cowell’s path. As the Red Bulls had numbers, Cowell delivered a long cross that missed Hall as it was a bit too far ahead of him, but no one saw the trailing Rafael Mosquera attacking down the far side as he got to the ball and smashed it hard for his first career MLS Goal and his first with the big club inthe 40th minute.

Own goals doom Red Bulls and help Nashville

This should’ve been a two-goal lead heading into halftime. This should’ve been all Red Bulls and forcing Nashville to change up their tactics. Instead, the visitors shot themselves in the foot by conceding two goals inside their own net. It was a night where, if it goes wrong, it can go wrong. The centerbacks were not paying attention and they took a bad touch to help Nashville get back into the match. With an attack going down the near side, the cross came towards the area. Tim Parker tried to clear the ball away, but as he turned his body, he redirected the ball past Ethan Horvath and into his own net in the 45th minute.

The Red Bulls were still looking o.k. and keeping the one-goal lead. Nashville, however, was pushing the game and trying to get that second goal. There was a moment where Nashville SC had a bunch of chances within a few seconds, but they were denied by Ethan Horvath and from the woodwork. But on their next attacking run, with Cristian Espinoza. making a move down the near side and trying to cross the ball, it was Julian Bazan who smashed it into his own net, and then the flag came up for offside. But VAR was on the call, as the offside was wiped out due to Bazan putting the ball into his own net, and the reverse came for the second own goal of the match in the 78th minute.

Sam Surridge ends their hopes

Nashville earned a corner along the near side as the match was put into second half stoppage time. With eight minutes added on, Cristian Espinoza delivered a solid cross towards the middle of the area, and it was tall Sam Surridge, who never misses from that spot, who redirected the ball off his head, and it went inside the far post in the first minute of eight. As that happened, the Red Bulls tried to get a third, but couldn’t get it as the final whistle blew and ended their hopes of forcing a big decision day to get a result and trying to put pressure on the Columbus Crew, when they faced FC Cincinnati.

First negative streak

For the very first time in the club’s history, either as the MetroStars or the Red Bulls, this is a non-qualifying playoff streak. After 15 consecutive seasons making the playoffs, they failed to do so in 2025, and now in 2026. When they started back in 1996 and made the playoffs, they fell in 1997. Got back into the playoffs in 1998, then had that historic fall in 1999. Got back into the playoffs from 2000 till 2008, making the MLS Cup Final, then fell apart in 2009. When Red Bull Arena/Sports Illustrated Stadium opened in 2010, they were in the playoffs every year until these two seasons.

“We’re disappointed. We’re really disappointed. I’m very proud of the group. We came here and, against a good team in a place that they’ve not lost all season. Had a bunch of guys who were ready to spill their guts on the field, play our football, and push the game, and try to do everything that we could to keep our season alive for another week and to see if we could really, really push our way at the end, and we couldn’t quite do it in the end. So that’s where it ends, like that’s disappointing and frustrating and heartbreaking, and everything else that you can imagine.

I said to the players just now that the work is to become a really good team. The work to become a team that can hold up on the toughest days, that can play in the biggest games, compete in the hardest moments. That work is hard, and that’s not always a journey that just goes step by step exactly the way that you want it. There are setbacks, and there’s adversity, and there are hard moments that you have to respond to and be ready to learn and go again, and so obviously that’s where we are.

Obviously, it’s really disappointing and again heartbreaking that we couldn’t at the end of this season find a way to get ourselves into the playoffs and see if we could make a real run at all, because in a lot of ways we’re doing a lot of things in a good way, but now we have to understand how we can grow, improve, harden ourselves, and mature and be ready to take the next step, and we will,” said Michael Bradley

JULIAN HALL: Scored his 13th goal of the season, his 16th in all competitions. Scored his 16th career MLS Goal

RAFAEL MOSQUERA: Scored his first career MLS Goal

ADRI MEHMETI: Earned his ninth assist of the season

SEKOU KONE: Earned his 1st career MLS assist

CADE COWELL: Earned his 9th assist of the season, earned his 24th career MLS Assist

DEVIN PADELFORD: Earned his 1st assist with the Red Bulls, his 2nd assist of the season, and his 5th career MLS Assist

Red Bull New York is out of the playoffs in a loss to Nashville SC

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