By Tiffany Williams –
WHIPPANY, N.J. — Red Bull New York didn’t just beat Hartford Athletic on Saturday afternoon, they obliterated them. Five goals, zero mercy, and 120 minutes of one-way traffic at the Red Bulls Training Facility that left no doubt who owned the field.
It took all of three minutes for New York to set the tone. Rafael Mosquera rolled a short corner to Dennis Gjengaar, the cross came screaming into the box, and Justin Che announced himself in emphatic fashion, flicking the ball up and blasting a right-footed volley into the bottom left corner. Blink and it was already 1-0, with Hartford scrambling to survive.
Hartford managed to limp to halftime still breathing, but that illusion ended five minutes into the second half. Mosquera again pulled the strings, swinging in a left-footed cross that deflected straight to Julian Hall, who calmly tucked it away to make it 2-0. From there, the match turned into a long, slow unraveling for Hartford and a showcase for New York’s depth, confidence, and sharpness.
The Red Bulls twisted the knife late. In the 84th minute, Wiki Carmona sent Andy Rojas wide, Rojas cut inside, and his right-footed shot kissed the inside of the post before settling into the net. Five minutes later, Adri Mehmeti smashed a one-time volley into the top right corner, making it 4-0 and removing any remaining suspense.
Even that wasn’t enough. After 90 minutes, the teams played an extra 30, and New York still wasn’t finished. In the 111th minute, Juan Mina delivered a ball across the six-yard box and Wiktor Bogacz finished it off, sealing a ruthless 5-0 demolition.
Head coach Michael Bradley made it clear afterward that this wasn’t just about the scoreline.
“Overall, we’re really happy, not just with today, but for with the whole week. Obviously the weather created some challenges, but the players, in every way, responded, and we got really good work. Happy with getting everybody good minutes today, lot of good football, a lot of good actions, lot of good goals. So we continue to move ourselves along in a good way.”
The clean sheet mattered just as much as the fireworks.
“It all goes together. So the better you attack and the better you are with the ball, the better you defend, the more aggressive you can be, the better that part of the game will be as well. Always the foundation that we are trying to build with the players, their understanding of ideas, the connections, the relationships, everything’s going in a good way for where we are in preseason. So now it’s about continuing to work and continuing to build the fitness and get sharper and sharper as we get closer to the first game.”
For Justin Che, the opener wasn’t just another goal — it was personal.
“So it was a corner kick. The ball got played out to Dennis (Gjengaar). Dennis whipped it in and I popped it up and I shot it far left post off the volley. So it’s a good finish, decent finish from a center back. But I’m happy with the goal. First goal as a Red Bull. So hopefully in the season, I can also score some in the stadium.”
He saw the same momentum building across the squad.
“I thought as we progress with the games here you can see the group, the chemistry is getting better and better on and off the ball. Had very good ideas. We had a lot of chances today, scored a lot of goals, so things are coming together.”
Five goals. A clean sheet. Total control. For Red Bull New York, this wasn’t just a preseason match — it was a warning shot.