The New York Red Bulls fell to FC Cincinnati in the first match of the 2025 MLS season, 1-0, on Saturday night in Ohio.
Kevin Denkey scored for FCC, heading a long ball in the box over the outstretched arms of Carlos Coronel.
"We had our moments," Head Coach Sandro Schwarz said. "We were very active. We had good situations with the ball. We had our chances to score. We are disappointed about the result. In looking at the performance, I’m satisfied with the performance, upset about the result.”
Coronel made his 129th career MLS start in tonight’s match and now ranks eighth in franchise history for most MLS starts by a Red Bulls player.
"One long ball misunderstanding," Schwarz said of the goal. "That can happen."
Cameron Harper made his 100th career appearance for New York across all competitions. He became the 19th midfielder in franchise history to play 100 matches for the club.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Alexander Hack both made their first career MLS appearances and starts in tonight’s match. Omar Valencia made his first career MLS start.
"Great, great first steps for him," Schwarz said of Valencia. "He had a lot of good moments, he was strong on defense, he had some good moments in build up situations. For the first game, a very good performance for him,"
New York will host Nashville SC for their 2025 Home Opener on Saturday, March 1 at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
"Now, we have to prepare for the Nashville game," Schwarz said.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish, and New York Red Bulls Radio in English via the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.
