HARRISON, N.J. — The New York Red Bulls celebrated a triumphant home opener after securing a 2-0 victory against Nashville SC on Saturday night. Contributions came from an emerging talent, Mohammed Sofo, who scored the first goal of his career, and Emil Forsberg, who netted his first goal of the season. Ensuring a flawless defense throughout the match, goalkeeper Carlos Coronel kept a clean sheet to support the home team’s win.
Starting with high energy, New York, the current Eastern Conference champions, took an early advantage just seven minutes in. Sofo, a promising 20-year-old forward making his debut start, capitalized on a rebound with a precise right-footed shot from the center of the box, recording his maiden career goal. Last season, Sofo had a limited impact, featuring for just 27 minutes in a single appearance.
Building on the momentum, Forsberg extended the lead to 2-0 in the 30th minute with his second league goal this year. Providing the assist was Omar Valencia, a 20-year-old defender who marked an important milestone by registering his inaugural career assist during his second start. Previously, Valencia had only one brief appearance last season, playing for just a minute.
Red Bulls’ backbone, Carlos Coronel, delivered two critical saves, marking the 36th shutout of his impressive career—35 of these achieved while playing with New York. This match also marked his 130th start for the club. On the opposing side, Joe Willis of Nashville faced a challenging night, thwarting three shots but unable to prevent his team’s defeat. Nashville remains goalless for the season, even after a scoreless home opener against the New England Revolution.
With this win, the Red Bulls boast an impressive 18-6-6 record in home openers and maintain an unbeaten record against Nashville with a tally of 3-0-4. Unfortunately, the team stumbled in their season opener, suffering a 1-0 loss away to Cincinnati.
Looking ahead, the Red Bulls are set to face Atlanta United in an away fixture on Saturday. Meanwhile, Nashville will aim for their first goal and win of the season when they host the Portland Timbers on the same day.
