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Michael Bradley’s reliance on youth movement pays off in Red Bulls’ win over Revolution
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- Michael Bradley’s reliance on youth movement pays off in Red Bulls’ win over Revolution
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Youth movement has taken on a new meaning for Red Bull New York.
When Michael Bradley took over as head coach of the MLS club, everyone expected that he would be willing to give some playing time to younger players, but nobody had it in the cards that he would start three players who are so young that they can't vote yet.
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In fact, up until the Red Bulls' season opener against Orlando City — when Julian Hall , 17, Adri Mehmeti , 16, and Matthew Dos Santos , 17, appeared in the Starting XI — no club in MLS history had ever started three players 17 or younger.
Julian Hall (right) celebrates after scoring a goal during the second half of a the Red Bulls' 1-0 win over the New England Revolution at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Feb. 28, 2026 in Harrison, N.J. Getty Images
Bradley was so comfortable with the results that he rolled the three teens back out Saturday in the Red Bulls' 1-0 win against the New England Revolution .
The decision paid off with Hall recording his third goal of the season after Dos Santos sent the ball into the attacking zone to Mehmeti , who set up the striker for the header goal.
But the decision speaks to a greater trust that Bradley has in his young players and his willingness to put them on the pitch in difficult situations to help their development.
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"We want guys who show up here every day alive and ready to take the ideas and go with them 1,000 percent," Bradley said. "As we moved through preseason it was clear that these guys were responding in really good ways. And as we got closer to the first game, and again this weekend, we felt like they earned the right to be on the field."
Hall, a name that has garnered quite a bit of interest from clubs in Europe, showed why he's become a player that soccer fans are quickly becoming familiar with, scoring a pair of goals in the opener against Orlando.
He followed it up with another impressive effort that included the only goal and a pair of shots.
Adri Mehmeti (15) dribbles the ball Carles Gil (10) defends during the first half of the Red Bulls' win over the New England Revolution on Feb. 28, 2026 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. John Jones-Imagn Images
Mehmeti, a Staten Island native, spent time in Germany last year training with sister club RB Leipzig and has garnered praise for his fearless play in the midfield and good feet. And Dos Santos has found himself on the Red Bulls' back line in part because of Noah Eile 's transfer to EFL Championship side Bristol City earlier this month.
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"It gives us a great amount of confidence," Hall said about the trust Bradley has in the youngsters. "I mean you could see it started in Orlando and luckily we played really well today and Michael had a great game plan for us."
Part of the first-year MLS coach's comfort stems from his familiarity with so many of the club's rising stars. Taking over the second team in the middle of their MLS Next Pro season, Bradley coached Mehmeti and Dos Santos with Red Bulls II.
Mamadou Fofana kicks the ball in front of Julian Hall during the second half of the Red Bulls' win over the Revolution. Getty Images
Even Hall appeared in one game for the second team last year while Bradley was the head coach there. All of that has seemingly helped create a quicker trust between Bradley and his younger players.
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"I spent a lot of time with them last year," Bradley said about Mehmeti and Dos Santos. "I had six months with them and I saw firsthand every single day, their quality, their attitude. I saw that when you challenged them and pushed them, they got even better. I saw that when you tried to help them with little things or coach them on certain details that you didn't have to repeat yourself many times. They picked things up pretty quickly."
He added about Hall: "There's a lot of football there. There's a lot of potential and that was the starting point."
The Red Bulls do find themselves in a bit of a quandary over what to do with Dos Santos after the club signed him to two short-term agreements, meaning they either amend his contract to an MLS contract or kick him back down to the second team.
Bradley said that decision would be made at the beginning of next week. The question now becomes, did he make the decision hard enough for the Red Bulls front office to keep him around?
"I hope so," he said.
