Seeking to capitalize on a much-needed victory, the New York Red Bulls host a faltering Columbus Crew side on Wednesday night in Harrison, N.J. The Red Bulls (4-5-3, 15 points) snapped a five-match winless run (0-3-2) with a 3-1 triumph over the Chicago Fire on Saturday, a result that first-year head coach Michael Bradley felt was overdue given the team’s recent performances.
No player benefited more from that win than Cade Cowell. The 22-year-old U.S. international forward scored his first goal for the Red Bulls in his 10th appearance for the club. Cowell, on a one-year loan from Guadalajara in Mexico, had contributed 12 goals and five assists in 69 matches for the Mexican side over the past two seasons. Prior to that, he made 104 appearances for the San Jose Earthquakes from 2020 to 2023, notching 10 goals and 14 assists.
“Cade is a really, really good guy, really hard worker,” Bradley said. “And for sure, the part of not having scored was weighing on him in a little ways, so from a personal standpoint, really happy that he could get his first goal. It came at a really important time, and we’re going to keep pushing him because I think there’s even more there actually.”
Cowell and his teammates will look to exploit a leaky Columbus defense. The Crew (3-6-3, 12 points) have conceded six unanswered goals since taking a 2-0 lead against Minnesota United on May 2. That lead evaporated into a 3-2 loss, followed by a 3-0 defeat at New York City FC on Sunday. The absence of defender Malte Amundsen, who left the Minnesota match at halftime with a thigh injury, has been a factor. Amundsen trained on Tuesday and could be available for Wednesday’s contest.
“We definitely miss him,” Crew head coach Henrik Rydstrom said. “He is so important in understanding how we play.”
Rydstrom acknowledged that his team needs a mental reset to end their two-game losing streak. “We haven’t put in that 90-minute performance week in and week out so far,” he added. “Maybe two games, then not so good. You don’t see it coming.”
