Emil Forsberg and the defending Eastern Conference champion New York Red Bulls did not start their 2025 MLS campaign on the right foot Saturday with a 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati — a side picked by many to challenge for a top-three spot in the East this season.
The instant measuring-stick game had its share of consolation moments, especially across the game’s first hour. New York outshot Cincinnati 15-11 on the road saw 52% of possession and. But one long ball from DeAndre Yedlin over the top beat the Red Bulls’ back three and set up Kevin Denkey’s game-winning header in the 70th minute.
An initial stumble, yes, but there were glimpses of the consistency that Forsberg was hoping to see when he spoke with amNewYork shortly before the season opener.
“We have to deliver better every game,” Forsberg said. “It’s easy to say that… but you’re always going to have your ups and downs. For us, it’s important to develop a game feeling — when to do what. I think this year, if we can do that, we’re going to win so many games. I’m very sure of it.”
As has been customary since his arrival from Bundesliga powers Red Bull Leipzig last winter, the star Swede is responsible for executing that concept.
“These kinds of details come down to me,” he said. “To know that and talk to the team, that’s what leadership is about. I’ve had one year to go into it and I feel more confident in it now. The first year was amazing, but now I feel even more confident.”
Forsberg nearly reached the pinnacle of American soccer in his debut season with the Red Bulls last season. As the playmaking engine of the midfield, he helped lead the squad to its second-ever MLS Cup Final appearance, which was lost 2-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The 33-year-old nearly forced extra time when he hit the outside of the post in the 72nd minute — a tantalizingly close miss that nearly extended the Red Bulls’ Cinderella run as the lowest seed ever (No. 7) to make an MLS Cup Final.
It was the final act of a difficult second half to Forsberg’s introduction to MLS. While on international duty with Sweden in early June, he suffered a lower leg injury that held him out for roughly three-and-a-half months — and it was something that he had to nurse even after he returned in late September and through New York’s run to the conference title.
“It was a complicated injury that you had to be careful about,” Forsberg said. “I was away for a long time. I didn’t run for a long time. So all this kind of stuff to get into fitness, and to get into that soccer fitness, and get into the team after that, I tried to work as hard as I could. It didn’t hold me back, but from the beginning, of course, it takes time to get back into it. It was tough.
“But now, I’m 200% back. I had a fantastic preseason… and I can’t wait to have a whole season together with the team.”
