Michael Bradley hopes to build a "complete" version of the New York Red Bulls, as he prepares to start his first MLS campaign as a head coach against Orlando City.

Bradley has followed in the footsteps of his father Bob by stepping into senior management, having earned his stripes with the Red Bulls' B team.

The Red Bulls missed the playoffs last season as they finished 10th in the Eastern Conference, 10 points adrift of Orlando in ninth.  

The Lions will be Bradley's first opponents as an MLS head coach on Saturday, as the former United States midfielder takes his team to the Inter&Co Stadium.

Asked what he wants his team to look like, Bradley told reporters: "You guys have heard me talk enough by now to know that I see the game as very connected.

"So I think how well you defend and how good of a defensive team you are is directly connected to what you do when you have the ball, how you attack, how you press. 

"When we talk about our football, our idea, it is about being a complete a team as possible.

"We're in the part of becoming a good team, building a team that can hold up on the hardest days. The season starts this weekend and we're all really excited, but building a team never stops."

Orlando's playoff campaign was a case of one and done in 2025, as they lost 3-1 to the Chicago Fire in the wild-card round, and their boss Oscar Pareja wants more this year.

"We have a lot of expectations and we're trying to accomplish objectives that we didn't accomplish last year," Pareja said during a pre-season interview. "We're ready to do it."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Orlando City – Martin Ojeda

Ojeda set an Orlando club record with 30 MLS goal contributions in 2025. His 14 assists were also a club record for a single season, while his 16 goals were one shy of the best mark in team history (17 by Cyle Larin in 2015).

New York Red Bulls – Emil Forsberg 

Forsberg recorded 11 goals and 11 assists in the 2025 regular season. That made him the first Red Bulls player with at least 10 assists in a season since Alejandro Romero in 2018 and the first to have at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a season since Thierry Henry in 2014. The Swede will hope for more of the same in 2026.

MATCH PREDICTION – ORLANDO CITY WIN

New York's streak of 15 consecutive playoff appearances ended with a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2025. 

The Red Bulls missed the playoffs after recording just one win in their final seven regular-season matches (D1 L5), but they will hope Bradley's arrival brings an upturn.

New York are unbeaten in five straight matches against Orlando City in all competitions (W2 D3), their longest unbeaten run in the 25-match history of the fixture.

But this could be a tough start to their campaign, given Orlando achieved their second-most points in a single MLS season last year (53, 63 in 2023). 

They missed the playoffs in each of their first five MLS seasons but have since made the cut in six consecutive years, the longest active streak in MLS. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Orlando City – 49.5%

New York Red Bulls – 25.1%

Draw – 25.4%