Red Bull New York fell to Los Angeles FC, 2-0, on Wednesday night.
LAFC scored midway through the first half, then found a second in stoppage time as Red Bull New York were playing with just nine men due to injuries.
"I am extremely proud of the way that they went after the game, the way they competed, the way they tried to step on the field against a good team in a difficult place to play, and put the game on our term," Head Coach Michael Bradley said. "It is important that they hear how proud I am of them on nights like this as well because it is easy to say it when things go well, and I also told them that, I’m proud, but we are not happy or satisfied either."
Dennis Nelich and Sekou Kone both made their MLS debuts on Wednesday night, with Devin Padelford making his first start for RBNY. Nelich played the full 90 minutes for New York.
"We understand that we have to continue to get better and continue to be more concrete in some of the big moments of the game," Bradley said. "The group steps on the field in a really strong way, and tries to go after things, and so that is always a good starting point. Now, we have to keep making the rest that much better."
Adri Mehmeti was forced out of the match in the first half, while both Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and Justin Che had to leave the pitch in the second half after injuries of their own.
Ethan Horvath made six saves on the night. Â Â
New York will now head to Lower.com Field to take on Columbus Crew on Saturday, September 12.Â
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on Apple TV in English and Spanish, and Red Bulls Radio in English via the Red Bull New York app and RedBullNewYork.com.
