Michael Bradley faces a challenging test on Wednesday (7:30 PM ET) when his New York Red Bulls host Nashville SC, who put four past Lionel Messi‘s Inter Miami last time out. Bolavip asked the NYRB head coach what he thought about that performance and how his team plans to upset the current MLS Eastern Conference leaders.
“Nashville are a really good team,” Bradley said in response to Bolavip. “Obviously, by a lot of standards, you would say they’ve been the best team in the league so far this year. And so we’re excited for the opportunity to test ourselves against them.“
Nashville displayed a dominant performance on Saturday, handing Miami a 4-1 defeat to increase the gap with Messi and company to five points in the East.
“You know, obviously Miami is another really good team. That was a big match, and I thought on the night Nashville put a lot into it and really made the game hard for Miami,” Bradley added.
Bradley admires Nashville’s style of play
With 43 points in 19 games (W13, D4, L2), Nashville is also in pole position for the Supporters’ Shield title. Bradley is a big admirer of what B.J. Callaghan is doing in the Music City.
“I think Nashville’s football ideas, in terms of having guys in the center of the field, in between the lines, the understanding between their attacking players of how to be fluid and how to balance who wants the ball to their feet and who’s running deep and then how that gets complemented by fullbacks moving into the attack. I think that part is all pretty interesting,” Bradley said.
“So we’re going to continue to look really closely at them, make sure that our players are prepared in the best possible way, and be ready as always when the whistle blows to go after them and to go after the game in a really strong, aggressive way.“
Adri Mehmeti highlights veteran support for Red Bulls’ youngsters
Bradley, who was promoted this year after leading the reserve team to glory in the 2025 MLS Next Pro season, has been working with many young players making their first steps at the pro level.
17-year-old Adri Mehmeti, for instance, has been a sensation for the Red Bulls with one goal and three assists in 18 MLS games in 2026. When asked by Bolavip about Bradley and the veteran leadership on the team, Mehmeti stressed how important the seasoned players are for the younger members of the squad.
“Support has been great from everybody,” Mehmeti said. “I mean, all the staff, all the experienced players. Emil (Forsberg), (Eric Maxim) Choupo-Moting, all the vets, Tim (Parker), Dylan (Nealis). You have a lot of guys that have been helping all of the younger guys this season in a really good way, giving us the confidence when we go into games. We don’t shy away and we just play our football. We play free, and it’s really good that they have our back in every way possible.“
