Red Bulls ready to usher in era of ‘change’ as Michael Bradley takes reins

In the first official news conference of the Michael Bradley and Julian de Guzman era, the message was clear from the two men tasked with returning the luster at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Red Bull New York, the rebranded name of the Red Bulls that was quietly rolled out at the beginning of the new year, has been on a sizable overhaul of its roster since it ended its 2025 campaign in disappointing fashion. Some of the club’s most recognizable faces are no longer part of the roster and a greater emphasis is being placed on youth.

“The type of football that we will play going into the era of Michael Bradley and the future of [Red Bull New York] we need change, it’s as simple as that,” de Guzman, the head of sport, said during a news conference Monday to introduce Bradley as the club’s head coach.

In the past month and a half, Red Bull has traded away longtime member Sean Nealis and star forward Lewis Morgan, as well as homegrown talent Peter Stroud.

Veteran goalkeeper Carlos Coronel was also not brought back after last season, which ended the club’s 15-year MLS playoff streak.

De Guzman said the club was “fairly close” to resolving its goalkeeper situation following Coronel’s departure, and Red Bull also brought in Chivas winger Cade Cowell and Brøndby IF defender Justin Che.

“It’s important we start to go young and fresh and bring some top energy,” de Guzman said. “Cade Cowell, for me, is a great example as to the direction we want to go and you see a player like him, and what he’s been able to do, in his earlier career at San Jose, go to a top club like Chivas in LigaMX. He wants to play football, but he also fits the identity that we have here at Red Bull. This is the type of guys that we want to start to continue to invest in, but also open up the doors for [younger players].”

Bradley, a U.S. Men’s National Team great and the son of legendary soccer coach Bob Bradley, was officially named Red Bull head coach on Dec. 15 and has already had a number of conversations with players on the club since taking the job.

He also touted the relationships he had built since he was in the club’s training facility while coaching Red Bull II.

“I have relationships already with a lot of these guys. You know, a good number of them were at one point or another in second-team training. The ones who weren’t [it was] having a coffee together or passing by in the facility,” Bradley said. “The starting points in relationships of knowing how to connect with guys, that part is there in a lot of cases. Spent the last few weeks in some more depth with guys in trying to make sure they understand where we are with things.”

Red Bull New York will have a lot of pressure on it after the disappointing 2025 season that resulted in missing the postseason and the sacking of head coach Sandro Schwarz, a year after the club had reached the MLS Cup final for the first time since 2008.

Bradley had a decorated career as a player both for the USMNT and around the globe, which included time in the MLS, but his coaching résumé is a bit shorter.

He served as an assistant with his father in Norway and had a brief stint working with Jesse Marsch and the Canadian National Team earlier this year.

Bradley joined the Red Bull organization to coach the club’s second team and led them to an MLS NEXT Pro Cup in the fall.

He affirmed his commitment to the challenge that was coming ahead.

“It is something that I am going to commit my absolute life to,” he said. “To make sure that we are able to put a team on the field that our fans are proud of, to represent our club and this community in a way where everybody who comes into this stadium feels a part of.”