New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls have spent three decades chasing a single prize that has always slipped away. Established in October 1994, the club has twice reached the MLS Cup final, in 2008 and in 2024, and twice gone home empty-handed. Along the way they have won three Supporters' Shield titles, produced some of the league's most memorable individual performances, and changed their name, their colors, and their ownership entirely. Yet the core story of this club has always been the gap between expectation and result. Before there was a Red Bull logo on the jersey, before there was a stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, there was a city that was supposed to own MLS. That city never quite got what it was promised. And the Red Bulls are still trying to deliver it.
Peter Vermes was named the first team captain of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, and the roster around him read like a who's who of the sport's recent history. Tab Ramos, the first player to sign with MLS, joined alongside 1994 FIFA World Cup teammate Tony Meola and A.C. Milan star midfielder Roberto Donadoni. The first coach was Eddie Firmani of New York Cosmos fame. The expectation when the league opened play in 1996 was simple: the MetroStars would be dominant.
That expectation collapsed almost immediately. In their very first home game against the New England Revolution, former Juventus defender Nicola Caricola inadvertently flipped a cross into his own net in the dying minutes, handing New England a 1-0 win in front of 46,000 fans. Supporters later dubbed this the "Curse of Caricola," a shorthand for every agonizing near-miss that followed. Firmani left after eight games with a 3-5 record. His replacement, former Portugal coach Carlos Queiróz, managed to finish even at 12-12 but no better.
The team's lowest point came in 1999, when under former U.S. national team coach Bora Milutinović they posted a record of 7-25, the worst in MLS history. Then, in the year 2000, came a genuine shock: the signing of German international Lothar Matthäus from Bayern Munich. Matthäus played just 16 MLS games and his tenure was widely considered a disappointment, but the club leapt from last place to the conference title that same season.
On the 26th of August 2000, Clint Mathis set an MLS record by scoring five goals in a single game against the Dallas Burn, a record that stood as a symbol of what the club could briefly be when things clicked. It was a flash. The MetroStars remained unable to turn individual brilliance into a sustained winning culture, and by the time Red Bull GmbH came calling in 2006, the franchise was ready for a reckoning.
On the 9th of March 2006, it was announced that Austrian energy drink conglomerate Red Bull GmbH had purchased the club. The reaction was mixed. Red Bull had originally approached MLS about creating an expansion team in New York City proper, but concerns about buying out the MetroStars' territorial rights and the difficulty of securing a stadium site in the city led the company to purchase the existing franchise instead.
The rebrand was total. The name became Red Bull New York, though the league and media quickly settled on New York Red Bulls. The colors changed. The badge switched to the familiar Red Bull logo. The club name the team had carried since its founding was gone, and with it went a certain kind of identity. Fans who had always called the side the Metros kept doing so, and that name endures among the supporter base today.
Bruce Arena, a Brooklyn native who had just left the head coaching role with the United States national team, was hired during the 2006 season. Arena oversaw a summer in which the Red Bulls defeated German club Bayern Munich 4-2 in a friendly at Giants Stadium, then lost a friendly against Barcelona 4-1 in front of a sold-out crowd in East Rutherford. On the 18th of August 2007, the Red Bulls hosted the LA Galaxy for the league debut of David Beckham, drawing 66,238 fans.
Arena resigned as coach on the 5th of November 2007, two days after a playoff exit to New England. Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio arrived from the Chicago Fire. Under Osorio, the club suffered a 16-game winless streak in 2009, stretching from May 8 to August 23, and a road losing run of 23 games. Osorio resigned on the 21st of August 2009. The club finished that year with the worst record in the league. A new stadium was already under construction in Harrison, New Jersey, and the next chapter was about to begin.
Swedish manager Hans Backe was confirmed as head coach on the 7th of January 2010, and the club he inherited was rebuilt from the ground up. Estonian international midfielder Joel Lindpere became the first player to score a goal at Red Bull Arena in a preseason match against Santos of Brazil, which the Red Bulls won 3-1. Lindpere also scored the lone goal in the first MLS league match at the new ground, a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire on the 27th of March 2010.
In July 2010, the club signed legendary French forward Thierry Henry as a designated player. A month later on August 2, they signed Mexican international defender Rafael Márquez as their third designated player, making them the first MLS team to carry three designated players simultaneously. The turnaround was dramatic: New York finished with 51 points after having just 21 the previous year, setting an MLS record for best one-season improvement.
Lindpere was named the league's Most Valuable Player for that season. Henry was named captain for 2011. Australian World Cup and Premier League veteran Tim Cahill joined as a designated player in July 2012. Despite all this talent, the playoffs kept delivering heartbreak. In 2012, a postponement caused by Hurricane Sandy disrupted the Eastern Conference semifinal against D.C. United, and the Red Bulls lost their home leg 1-0 to go out.
Backe was relieved of his duties hours after that loss. His assistant Mike Petke, the most capped player in club history, took over in the interim. The next era would bring the club its first trophy, but it would come only after a winter of significant restructuring at every level of the organization.
Mike Petke was named permanent head coach on the 24th of January 2013, the first time in club history a former MetroStars or Red Bulls player had been given the job. His first game ended in a 3-3 draw on the 3rd of March 2013, away to the Portland Timbers. After a slow 0-2-2 start, Petke shifted the formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 and demanded a more aggressive defensive identity.
The team went on a two-month undefeated streak and won the 2013 Supporters' Shield as the club with the best regular-season record in MLS. It was the franchise's first-ever piece of silverware. The victory also secured the top seed and home-field advantage in the MLS Cup postseason. Petke's side could not convert that into a championship, but a trophy was finally in the cabinet.
Bradley Wright-Phillips had joined the club in 2013 and would eventually become its all-time leading scorer. In the 2014 season, Wright-Phillips scored 31 goals, earning the MLS Golden Boot. The Red Bulls reached the Eastern Conference final that year, where they were eliminated by the New England Revolution. At the end of 2014, Thierry Henry announced his retirement and Tim Cahill was released.
On the 23rd of December 2014, Ali Curtis replaced Andy Roxburgh as Sporting Director. Two weeks later, Petke was released as head coach. A fan-funded billboard criticizing the club's management appeared near Red Bull Arena ahead of the 2015 home opener. Petke's replacement, former Montreal Impact coach Jesse Marsch, was about to inherit a roster that would win another Supporters' Shield.
Jesse Marsch arrived with a mandate to transplant the high-pressing tactical style used by all Red Bull global clubs under Ralf Rangnick. Marsch once described his vision as playing like "an energy drink," a phrase that was initially mocked but which the fanbase eventually embraced as a badge of identity.
On the 21st of May 2016, the Red Bulls tied an MLS record for largest victory margin, winning 7-0 at New York City FC. Wright-Phillips passed Thierry Henry at the end of July 2016 to become the club's all-time leading goal scorer, and he would eventually double Henry's total. By 2018, Wright-Phillips had become the fastest player to reach 100 MLS goals in league history, achieving the feat on July 25 against DC United with all 100 goals scored as a Red Bull.
In the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, the Red Bulls made their deepest continental run. In the quarterfinal against Club Tijuana, they became the first MLS club to win by multiple goals on Mexican soil with a 2-0 victory built on a brace from Wright-Phillips and 13 saves by goalkeeper Luis Robles. In the return leg in Harrison, new record signing Kaku scored on his debut off the bench in a 3-1 win, giving the club a 5-1 aggregate victory. In the semifinals, New York outshot Mexican giants Chivas 20-1 in the home second leg but were eliminated 1-0 on aggregate.
Marsch left mid-season in 2018 to join Ralf Rangnick at Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. He remains the most successful coach in the club's history. Days before his departure, the club wrapped up its third Supporters' Shield title, winning their last five games to overtake Atlanta United on the season's final day. Tyler Adams was sold to RB Leipzig in January 2019 for a sum of $3,000,000 plus 33% of any future transfer earnings.
Luis Robles, who holds the club record for career appearances with 206 games, departed after the 2019 season alongside Wright-Phillips, who holds the club record for goals with 106 in MLS regular season play. The club's longest-serving player and top scorer had gone in the same offseason.
Sean Davis became the first academy product named captain ahead of the 2020 season, the fifth native of New Jersey to wear the armband. COVID-19 disrupted that season, and coach Chris Armas was released on the 4th of September 2020. Kevin Thelwell, the club's Head of Sport who had come over from Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier that year, brought in former Barnsley manager Gerhard Struber on the 6th of October 2020.
During the Struber years the club qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for a 13th consecutive season in 2022, equalling a league record set by Seattle and giving the Red Bulls the active league record. In 2023, a stoppage-time penalty by John Tolkin clinched the club's spot in the playoffs for a 14th straight year, a North American sports current record at the time. Struber was let go in May 2023 after the club won just one of its first 11 games amid supporter protests triggered by a racist slur incident involving forward Dante Vanzeir.
Assistant coach Troy Lesesne guided the team to the playoffs before also being dismissed. Former 1. FSV Mainz 05, FC Dynamo Moscow, and Hertha BSC manager Sandro Schwarz was named the 20th head coach in club history on the 14th of December 2023. Two days later, the club signed RB Leipzig midfielder and Sweden international Emil Forsberg as a designated player. It was the beginning of the run that would finally carry the Red Bulls back to the MLS Cup final.
Schwarz's Red Bulls qualified for the 2024 playoffs with mediocre form, extending their consecutive postseason record to 15 years despite finishing mid-table. What followed was considered by some the biggest upset run in MLS playoff history. In the first round, New York defeated defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew, with goalkeeper Carlos Coronel making several decisive saves and academy graduate Daniel Edelman converting the decisive penalty in a shootout.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinal, the Red Bulls defeated New York City FC in the first-ever postseason derby between the two clubs. Summer designated player signing Felipe Carballo and Dante Vanzeir both scored. In the Eastern Conference Final, New York traveled to face Orlando City SC and won 1-0 on a goal by Andres Reyes, sending the club to its second-ever MLS Cup final.
They faced the LA Galaxy in that final and fell 2-1, with Sean Nealis providing their only goal. The club that had lost the 2008 MLS Cup final 3-1, their lone goal coming from John Wolyniec, had now fallen twice at the final hurdle. The next year, 2025, brought further pain: the Red Bulls tied an MLS record for the largest margin of victory on May 10 with a 7-0 win against the LA Galaxy at home, then finished the season with just seven wins in 22 remaining matches and missed the postseason for the first time since 2009.
In December 2025, New Jersey native and former MetroStar Michael Bradley, who had spent the second half of 2025 guiding the club's second team to an MLS Next Pro championship, was announced as the team's new head coach. The club that began in 1994 with a name that referenced a media company, won its first trophy in 2013, and reached its second MLS Cup final in 2024 is still searching for the one result that has always been just out of reach.
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Common questions
When were the New York Red Bulls founded and what was their original name?
The New York Red Bulls were established in October 1994 and began play in MLS's inaugural 1996 season as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. The original owners were John Kluge and Stuart Subotnick, and the MetroStars name was chosen as a reference to Metromedia, the media company founded by Kluge.
Why did the MetroStars become the New York Red Bulls?
Austrian energy drink company Red Bull GmbH purchased the club, with the deal announced on the 9th of March 2006. Red Bull had originally sought an expansion franchise in New York City proper, but concerns about the cost of buying out the MetroStars' territorial rights and difficulty securing a stadium site led the company to purchase the existing club instead. The rebrand included a new name, new colors, and a new badge.
What trophies have the New York Red Bulls won?
The New York Red Bulls have won three MLS Supporters' Shield titles, in 2013, 2015, and 2018. They have not won the MLS Cup, having reached the final twice and lost both times, in 2008 to Columbus Crew 3-1 and in 2024 to LA Galaxy 2-1.
Who is the New York Red Bulls all-time leading goal scorer?
Bradley Wright-Phillips is the club's all-time leading scorer, with 106 goals in MLS regular season play, all scored during his time with New York. He also holds the record for the most goals in a single season with 27 in 2014, and became the fastest player in MLS history to reach 100 league goals, achieving the milestone on the 25th of July 2018.
Where do the New York Red Bulls play their home matches?
The New York Red Bulls play at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, which has a seating capacity of 25,189. The stadium opened for the 2010 MLS season, with the first MLS league match played there on the 27th of March 2010, a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire. Before 2010, the club played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
What is the Hudson River Derby in New York Red Bulls history?
The Hudson River Derby is the rivalry between the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC, which entered MLS in 2015. The Red Bulls won the first-ever meeting between the two clubs on the 10th of May 2015. Across 32 matches, the Red Bulls hold a record of 16 wins to NYCFC's 12 wins with 4 draws. In 2024, the two clubs met in the postseason for the first time, with the Red Bulls winning.
All sources
226 references cited across the entry
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- 2NewsPetke's golazo leads Metros past RevsMLS Digital — November 17, 2014
- 3General Overview2009
- 4Frequently Asked Questions – Red Bull ArenaNew York Red Bulls — July 8, 2015
- 5New York Red Bulls History – TeamMLS Digital — April 4, 2017
- 6Team HistoryNew York Red Bulls
- 7MetroStars sold to Red BullJane Havsy — March 8, 2006
- 8BookEncyclopedia of Sports Management and MarketingLinda E. Swayne et al. — SAGE Publications — August 8, 2011
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- 11NewsMarch 5, 1996 Soccer ReportAlex Yannis — March 5, 1996
- 12First XI: Welcome to MLS DenilsonJeff Bradley — August 29, 2007
- 13Where Are They Now-MetroStars 1996 TrialistsBrian.MLS — Nyredbullshistory.blogspot.com — September 22, 2007
- 14Remember that pick Juninho?, Way Back in 96?Soccerpubs.com — December 6, 2005
- 15VideoNicola Caricola own goal, MetroStars vs New EnglandMSG Network — April 20, 1996
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- 17ESPNsoccernet – MLS – Metros claim La Manga Cup crownESPN — March 5, 2004
- 19Press releaseRed Bull takes over the MetroStarsRed Bull New York — March 9, 2006
- 20NewsMetroStars sold to Red BullJane Havsy — March 8, 2006
- 21NewsMetroStars sold and renamed Red Bull New YorkESPN FC — March 9, 2006
- 22How Do Fans React When Sports Teams Are Named After Corporations?Ric Jensen et al. — January 7, 2008
- 23Things could have gone much different for the Red BullsKristian R. Dyer
- 24NewsRed Bull Is New Owner, and Name, of MetroStarsJack Bell — March 10, 2006
- 25JournalSport-related branded entertainment: the Red Bull phenomenonReinhard E.; Franziska; James Kunz; Elsässer, Santomier — 2016
- 27New SigningsBig Apple Soccer
- 28Diego Jimenez is a Red BullThe Offside
- 29NY-LA see-saw ends in drawMLSnet
- 31Angel, Red Bulls swamp UnitedMLSnet
- 32NewsN.Y. upends Real Salt Lake to make MLS Cup for first time16 November 2008
- 33NewsCrew Defeats Red Bulls to Win M.L.S. CupJack Bell — November 23, 2008
- 34NewsSounders FC debuts with dazzling 3–0 victoryJosé Miguel Romero — March 20, 2009
- 35NewsRed Bulls are longshots for playoffs a year after MLS Cup appearanceMichael Lewis — July 6, 2009
- 36NewsThe Red Bulls blow it againRidge Mahoney — August 6, 2009
- 37Henry goes to New YorkEurosport — July 14, 2010
- 38Red Bulls announce 2010 team awards –Red Bull New York Media Relations — Newyorkredbulls.com — November 19, 2010
- 39New York ascending to high barYahoo — April 22, 2011
- 40Red Bulls leave no doubt in 5–0 win over TFCMLSsoccer — July 6, 2011
- 41South Ward to Protest Against Organization on SaturdayCesar Diaz — Bleacher Report — July 22, 2011
- 42Red Bulls sign goalkeeper Frank RostRed Bull New York Media Relations — July 13, 2011
- 43NewsHenry, New York tie Arsenal, take Emirates CupMLSsoccer — July 31, 2011
- 44Red Bulls Down Union 3–0, End Regular Season with Three Big PointsDave Zeitlin — October 27, 2012
- 45New York Red Bulls match postponed until Thursdaydcunited.com — D.C. United — November 7, 2012
- 46Red Bulls Fall to D.C. United 1–0, Lose 2–1 AggregateNew York Red Bulls official website — November 8, 2012
- 48New York Red Bull TransactionsMarch 28, 2013
- 49Red Bulls Name Mike Petke Head CoachJanuary 24, 2013
- 51Red Bulls coach Mike Petke is living the dreamNJ.com — June 9, 2013
- 52Thierry Henry's First Goal of the 2013 Season Lifts New York to 2–1 Win Over PhiladelphiaNew York Red Bulls — March 30, 2013
- 53Giase on soccer: Red Bulls on an impressive runNJ.com — August 6, 2013
- 54NewsRed Bull coach Mike Petke can't rewatch Toronto non-effort, breaks DVDBrian Lewis — Nypost.com — July 23, 2013
- 58New York Red Bulls Town Hall MeetingJanuary 16, 2015
- 60New York Red Bulls Win 2015 MLS Supporter's ShieldOctober 25, 2015
- 70Red Bulls suffer familiar fate in loss to ChivasApril 11, 2018
- 71Red Bulls win Shield; Galaxy choke; RSL, Crew into playoffsOctober 28, 2018
- 82Bradley Carnell to be First Head Coach of St. Louis CITY SC St. Louis SCSt Louis CITY SC
- 85Aaron Long to miss 2021 season after undergoing Achilles' tendon surgeryJonathan Sigal — May 18, 2021
- 92News"It's no small feat": New York Red Bulls enter record books with road winning streakJaime Uribarri — May 1, 2022
- 95New York Red Bulls Add Sebastian Häusl as Head of ScoutingDecember 6, 2022
- 97New York Red Bulls Sign Jamaican International Cory Burke to MLS ContractNovember 21, 2022
- 98New York Red Bulls Sign New York Native Curtis Ofori to Homegrown DealDecember 1, 2022
- 99New York Red Bulls sign homegrown midfielder Peter StroudJanuary 14, 2023
- 101New York Red Bulls Acquire Brazilian Forward Elias Manoel from GremioJanuary 6, 2023
- 102Best of luck in your next chapter, Aaron.
- 103Long Island Native Sean Nealis Named New York Red Bulls CaptainNew York Red Bulls
- 104The New York Red Bulls have signed Belgian forward Dante Vanzeir from Union SG.
- 105New York Red Bulls transfer Patryk Klimala to Israeli Premier League sideJonathan Sigal — January 29, 2023
- 107Red Bulls fans walk out to protest club's handling of Vanzeir, StruberJason Anderson — April 15, 2023
- 108@EmpireSC
- 111Troy Lesesne Named Head Coach of New York Red BullsNew York Red Bulls
- 117New York Red Bulls Transfer Midfielder Luquinhas to Fortaleza Esporte ClubeNew York Red Bulls
- 118New York Red Bulls Trade Forward Tom Barlow to Chicago Fire FCNew York Red Bulls
- 119New York Red Bulls Trade Midfielder Dru Yearwood to Nashville SCNew York Red Bulls
- 122New York Red Bulls Sign Defender Dylan Nealis to New MLS ContractNew York Red Bulls
- 123New York Red Bulls Sign Warren, N.J. Native Daniel Edelman to New MLS ContractNew York Red Bulls
- 124New York Red Bulls Announce 2023 End of Year Roster DecisionsNew York Red Bulls
- 136New York Red Bulls Sign Canadian Defender Raheem Edwards to MLS ContractNew York Red Bulls
- 140New York Red Bulls Transfer Defender John Tolkin to Holstein Kiel of BundesligaNew York Red Bulls
- 152MetroStars in Cup TestSeptember 2, 1997
- 153July 13, 1999 – Staten Island Vipers vs. MetroStarsOctober 1, 2013
- 154Guevara's goal late in sudden death sends MetroStars past New England 2–1.soccertimes.com — August 27, 2003
- 155Metrostars Beat Tampa Bay, 3–0, In Third Round of U.S. Open CupJuly 25, 2000
- 1572002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals Begin WednesdayAugust 5, 2002
- 158Contact UsNew York Red Bulls
- 159Behind Enemy Lines: Scouting New York Red BullsMarch 6, 2024
- 163Metrostars to Return to Practice Home at Kean University TomorrowOurSports Central — March 21, 2002
- 164NewsRevamped MetroStars Return to the FieldJack Bell — February 4, 2003
- 165NewsRed Bulls need new training ground ASAP: BackeNypost.com — March 26, 2010
- 166Red Bulls field taking shape in Hanover – New Jersey Hills Newspaper: Hanover Eagle NewsJames Lent — Newjerseyhills.com — January 24, 2013
- 168Giase on Soccer: Red Bulls finally open new practice facility in HanoverNJ.com — June 25, 2013
- 169Red Bulls settling into new practice facilitiesMetro.us — June 24, 2013
- 170Red Bulls Training Facility OpensApril 17, 2017
- 175NewsTop Atlantic Cup moments: Tony Meola recalls the moment the New York-D.C. United rivalry beganMLSsoccer.com — March 15, 2013
- 176NewsRevs, Red Bull renew I-95 rivalryMay 2013
- 179NewsRed Bulls shine against Galaxy as tenor of '1% derby' changesGraham Parker et al. — April 27, 2015
- 181NewsNew York Soccer Rivalry Already BrewingBrian Lewis — NYPost.com — December 11, 2013
- 182New York City FC, Red Bulls rivalry heating up alreadyJoe Prince-Wright
- 183NewsRed Bulls-NYCFC rivalry more hype than substance so farStefan Bondy — NY Daily News — August 10, 2015
- 184New York Red Bulls v New York City: Hudson derby heats upBBC News — August 10, 2015
- 185New York Red Bulls v New York City FCMajor League Soccer — May 11, 2015
- 186Behind The Bello's Brawl Between NYCFC, RBNY SupportersDave Martinez — Empire of Soccer — August 10, 2015
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- 188Match Recap= New York Red Bulls 4, New York Cosmos 1June 18, 2015
- 189Red Bulls Demolish New York City F.C. in a Rivalry That Remains One-SidedMike Vorkunov — May 22, 2016
- 190Register
- 191Welcome, REDD! New York Red Bulls Debut New MascotNew York Red Bulls — July 20, 2024
- 192NewsMSG Networks And New York Red Bulls Sign Multi-Year Television Rights ExtensionMSG (TV channel) — March 6, 2014
- 193Red Bulls announce 24/7 radio channel – Red Bulls Radio – via TuneInNew York Red Bulls — November 25, 2015
- 194Excited to announce that I'm joining the MLSSeasonPass team on the AppleTV app this season, as a Spanish host and commentator.
- 195Apple and Major League Soccer unveil broadcasters for MLS Season PassJanuary 10, 2023
- 196Players
- 198New York Red Bulls honor Bradley Wright-Phillips: The last to wear No. 99Benjamin Baer — August 6, 2018
- 200New appointment to Red Bull Global Soccer draws the red thread tighterOctober 18, 2015
- 203New York Red Bulls II win 2016 USL Cup 5–1 over Swope Park RangersMajor League Soccer — October 23, 2016
- 216NewsNew York Red Bulls Set Wins, Points, Home Victories and Home Points RecordOctober 28, 2018
- 219Luis Robles Selected as New York Red Bulls CaptainMLS Digital — February 21, 2018
- 221New York Red Bulls 1, Columbus Crew 0 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs Match RecapNovember 29, 2015
- 223New York Red Bulls 1, Montreal Impact 2 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs Match RecapNovember 6, 2016
- 225BoxscoreOctober 30, 2017
- 227BoxscoreNovember 11, 2018
- 228RBNYvsCLB 11-03-2024/MLS Match RecapNovember 3, 2024