Atlanta United finally is back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, and waiting for them will be young phenom Julian Hall and the Michael Bradley-led Red Bull New York. It’s not been the smoothest of seasons for Red Bull, but they’re in seventh, which is more than Atlanta can say right now. Bradley has benefited from the play of young talent that he coached at RBNY II in 2025 before being named the first-team head coach after Sandro Schwarz’s firing. That said, with youth comes plenty of teaching opportunities.
For more on RBNY, I reached out to Daniel Rebain, who covers them for Area Sports Net.
Obviously, Michael Bradley came from a very rich pedigree when he was hired as Red Bulls head coach, not only as a player but as the son of one of the most accomplished coaches in American soccer history. How would you rate the job he’s doing in Year 1?
I would say that through half of year one with Bradley in charge, he’s exceeding the expectations that the club set out for him. You have to understand that this past offseason, the club hired a new Head of Sport in Julian de Guzman (formerly the Sporting Director), and he gutted the club, basically hitting the reset button. Not necessarily a full rebuild, but it was a MAJOR retool. So much so that they weren’t able to replace all the players they kicked out the door. Currently, the team is in cap hell and can’t facilitate any significant incoming transfers. So back to the field, Bradley has little to work with when it comes to a match-day roster, especially at the back. In attack and midfield, they have been able to survive. But for most of the season on defense, they have had a CB partnership who are natural RB’s in Dylan Nealis and Justin Che. Che has been amazing, but Nealis has been real up and down. But they were able to bring in a young U22 CB, Julian Bazan, who, along with Che, has looked steady in the middle.
Overall, I think Bradley is having the best season as he possibly could. You could nitpick him here and there on team selection, subs, and certain tactics, but for a guy who’s only in year two as a head coach and first in MLS, I think he’s done a pretty good job, and it’s only going to keep improving.
I don’t think anyone foresaw the success Julian Hall would have in 2026. He’s receiving overtures from European clubs, while the USMNT and Poland are both looking to get a commitment from him. What does his future look like, not with just the Red Bulls but overall?
Jules has been fantastic this season. Sure, his play has dropped off in the last five games, but that’s expected from a 17-, now 18-year-old player playing his first full season in MLS. What you’ll notice is that his off-ball movement has seen the biggest improvement, and that’s allowed him to find open spaces for his teammates to feed him in behind defenses. His future is very promising. I would guess that he remains with NY through the sprint season in early 2027, but when the calendar changes to align with the rest of the world, you’ll see a $20M sale for the U20 attacker. I think his best position is off the left, or with another striker next to him, but he has shown an ability to play anywhere on the front line so that will help him succeed in the future in whatever league he goes to next.
For his international future, as you’ll see in the media, there is dual-national panic with Jules, and it’s warranted. But from my POV, it’s clear he wants to play for the U.S., but at the same time, the easier path to play is with Poland, who have zero realistic striker prospects in their pool atm. It will be interesting to see, but if I were to guess which he’ll choose, it would be the U.S.
What does Atlanta United need to do to beat the Red Bulls on Saturday?
Take the game to Red Bull, early and often. When NY hasn’t been able to get off to a fast start this season and settle into their game, they tend to struggle, giving up high-danger chances and conceding first. That forces them to chase, and for the most part they haven’t been able to regroup and mount a comeback.
The weak part of the team has been the defense, specifically down both wings. Matthew Dos Santos is a young LB, learning how to play MLS soccer on the job, and he has seen his ups and downs. On the other side, it’s been mostly Dylan Nealis since Bazan has come into the lineup, and Nealis has been the team’s worst player since coming back from the World Cup.
If you can win your one-on-one battles down the wing, you’ll be set up for success on Saturday.