New York Red Bulls vs Nashville SC

Photography by: Kyros Morales

The New York Red Bulls had a successful home opener on Saturday, defeating Nashville SC 2-0 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ.

The night kicked off with a celebration for last season’s Eastern Conference Championship title, but there were doubts ahead of the opening whistle.

Star midfielder Lewis Morgan was sidelined with an injury sustained during practice earlier in the week, which meant 20-year-old Mohammed Sofo was on the starting XI for this clash against Nashville. It would be Sofo’s first MLS start, and it was a dream one.

Inside just seven minutes, Sofo stepped up and scored his debut goal to put the Red Bulls ahead early. His breakthrough came after a chaotic sequence inside Nashville’s box, capitalizing on a rebound off the crossbar and slotting it past Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis.

Sofo became the 30th different player to score the opening goal of a season for the Red Bulls in 30 seasons.

Then, poetically, in the 30th minute, Swedish international Emil Forsberg doubled the Red Bulls’ lead. It was a stunning right-footed curler from the top of the box that nestled into the top-left corner of the net and sent Sports Illustrated Stadium into pandemonium.

It was Forsberg’s 10th goal since joining MLS, and he continued his hot streak of six goal contributions in his last five regular-season matches dating back to 2024.

On the defensive end, it was a quiet night for goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who went unchallenged for most of the match. It was enough to earn him his first clean sheet of the season and the 36th in his MLS career. In addition, this win solidified his spot as the second-winningest goalkeeper in Red Bulls history with 49 victories, surpassing the legendary Tony Meola.

From Nashville’s perspective, it was a poor outing offensively as they struggled to break down a disciplined New York Red Bulls defense despite holding 54% possession.

Nashville remains winless this season after failing to score in both of their games this season.

This result improves the Red Bulls’ all-time record in home openers to 18-6-6 and their undefeated streak against Nashville to 3-0-4. New York will now look to build momentum when they travel to face Atlanta United FC next Saturday, March 8, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Meanwhile, Nashville will aim to find their first win (and goal) of the season when they host the Portland Timbers next weekend.

With a mix of youth and veteran contributions, the Red Bulls are off to a promising start at home, and fans at Sports Illustrated Stadium will hope it’s a sign of more success to come in 2025.

Photography by: Kyros Morales