“I would give Julian the advice to follow his heart,” Bradley replied to Bolavip during his Tuesday media availability ahead of Wednesday’s derby against New York City FC in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup round of 16.

Hall, born and raised in the US, also has Polish citizenship through his mother, who met with Poland‘s soccer federation president Cezary Kulesza this week.

Bradley not putting pressure on Hall to choose the USMNT over Poland

Despite being an icon of the US national team with 151 caps, Bradley understands that Hall’s decision will be personal, which is why he’s encouraging his player to decide what he feels best.

“For any football player who has the possibility to play for two countries, I personally can’t imagine what goes into a decision like that. I was only able to play for one national team, and so that is not something that I have experience with,” Bradley added.

“But for me, when it comes to any big decisions in life, you think about things, and you reflect, and then ultimately you make a decision based on your heart, and based on where you want to go and what you want out of your life and what you want out of that decision. And when you make the decision, then you go for it and you don’t look back.“

Poland FA president meets with Hall’s mother in New York

Kulesza’s post on X revealing the meeting with Hall’s mother made noise on social media, hinting at Poland’s interest in recruiting Hall before he suits up for the Stars and Stripes.

“I met in New York with Julian Zakrzewski Hall’s mom, Ms. Agnieszka. It’s impressive how she supports her son on his soccer journey. We were of the same opinion – that the surname Zakrzewski looks beautiful on a white-and-red jersey,” Kulesza wrote.

Julian Hall’s excellent start to 2026 puts him on Poland’s radar again

Hall has been in great form for New York early in 2026, boasting six goals and two assists in just 10 MLS appearances. All of this with his mother’s birth name, Zakrzewski, on the back of his shirt.

This fact, combined with Kulesza’s recent meeting, could worry USMNT fans about Poland’s chances to recruit Hall.

That said, the forward already had the possibility to represent Poland at the youth international level, yet he only played for the US. Only time will tell what flag he ends up representing for the rest of his career.

“Yeah, his impact has been huge,” Bradley said when asked by Bolavip about Mascherano’s impact in MLS during his short time in the league.

“Obviously, he did an incredible job with Miami, he was able to lead them to their first MLS Cup. I think that part is there for everybody to see, and nobody can ever take that away from him.“

Bradley wishes Mascherano ‘all the best’

Bradley’s comments came during a media session ahead of New York’s US Open Cup fixture against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET). Shortly before Bradley addressed the press, Inter Miami announced Mascherano will be replaced by Guillermo Hoyos, at least on an interim basis.

“Obviously without being there, on the inside of things, it’s impossible to know, it’s impossible to understand the situation,” Bradley added. “You know, in the last little bit, I saw things about personal reasons, and so obviously, again, without being on the inside, you never know exactly what the situation is.

“As a colleague, I wish him all the best for his future, and I know that with his qualities as a coach, with his experience in football, with his personality, he’s gonna continue to do great things in the game, and so I wish him all the best.“

Bradley revealed having one of Mascherano’s jerseys

Bradley had already shown his respect for Mascherano during the weekend. During his postgame press conference after Saturday’s 2-2 draw in Miami, the New York Red Bulls HC remembered the day he exchanged jerseys with the Argentine legend after an international game.

“I have a huge amount of respect for Javier, I always did as a player and now as a coach. He won’t remember this, but one of the proudest moments in my career was after a game with Argentina, he sent somebody into the locker room because he wanted to exchange jerseys with me. So I have one of his Argentina jerseys at home,” Bradley revealed.

“I was a never a guy who went out of my way to trade jerseys but when somebody like Javier Mascherano went out of his way to ask for mine, then you can be sure that I’ve kept his.

“He was an incredible player, had a huge career at some top, top clubs, and now as a young coach has done a really good job, obviously, led Miami to the MLS Cup last year. For me, the experience of coaching against other really good managers is exciting.“

Mascherano’s praise for Bradley

Before shocking the MLS community on Tuesday, Mascherano also heaped praise on Bradley during Saturday’s pre-game interview with Apple TV.

“I faced him in international games many times, he was a very good player and a very important player for the USA,” Mascherano said of Bradley before facing the New York Red Bulls, in what turned out to be his last game at the helm of Inter Miami.

“He did really well last season, winning the MLS Next Pro championship. This season you can see his ideas about football, and for me, he will be a really successful coach in this league.”

“They don’t get distracted at all,” Bradley told Bolavip during a media session on Thursday. “We have a really good group. Training has been excellent all week. Like we have all season long, we continue to talk about the idea that we play one game at a time.

“You play the team that’s in front of you, and you get ready, you do everything you can all week to prepare and to be ready, when that whistle blows, to spill your heart and soul into that game and that 90 minutes. And when that’s done, then we get ready to do it again.“

Inter Miami chasing first win at Nu Stadium

Saturday will be only the second-ever game to be held at Nu Stadium, a venue Inter Miami heavily invested in to play near Miami International Airport after years of making Fort Lauderdale their temporary home.

A Messi header saw Inter Miami share a 2-2 draw against Austin FC in the Nu Stadium opener, so the Herons are still chasing their first-ever win at their new home.

Bradley says NY Red Bulls are excited and ready

Bradley had nothing but praise for Inter Miami, calling them “a very good team with a lot of very good players,” while describing Messi as “the best player of all time,” praising how the Argentine star can play in different positions in Javier Mascherano’s scheme.

However, the NY Red Bulls head coach let everyone know that neither the new stadium nor the opponents’ strength will prevent his team from concentrating on winning the game.

“As I said, we are excited. The new stadium in Miami looks incredible. Anytime as a player you get to play against good teams, good players, that’s what it’s all about. You want to play in the biggest games. As a group, we are really excited, and I know that we’ll be ready when the game starts,” Bradley added.

Dylan Nealis excited to return to Miami

An interesting storyline ahead of Saturday’s game has to do with defender Dylan Nealis, who also addressed the press on Thursday.

The 27-year-old will be facing the team that drafted him third overall in 2020. Curiously, Nealis’ professional debut came against his current team during an Inter Miami 1-4 loss to the New York Red Bulls.

“Yeah, it was quite long ago,” Nealis told Bolavip. “I mean, I haven’t really changed much as a player, at least I don’t think so, but maybe just a bit more mature. I was changing, I was playing different positions at that time. Just excited, that’s the club I started at, so happy to get back down there.”

This game will have implications in the top spots of the 2026 MLS Eastern Conference regular season standings. Inter Miami arrive in fourth place with 11 points, with New York just one point shy in seventh place.

There have beenmany international stars that have played in MLS, such as David Beckham,Zlatan Ibrahimovic,Thierry Henry,and Andrea Pirlo. However, they were all free transfers andit was not untilrecentlythatMLS clubsbegan to make big money transfers.

Since 2014, many teams have opened their checkbooks to bringin valuable playersthat would improve the league instead of signingfree agentsuperstarswho may not be fully invested in MLS. Here we list the 10 most expensive signings in MLS history to date.

10. Jermain Defoe

Price: $10 million

When Toronto FC bagged $10 million for Jermain Defoe, the expectations were sky-high. However, it didn’t go to plan. Even though he was prolific, the Premier League journeyman spent only one season in Canada before going back to England.

9. Cucho Hernandez

Price: $10.5 million

In his twenties, Cucho Hernandez already boasts an interesting resume, with stints in different European teams. The Colombia international joined Columbus Crew for $10.5 million from Watford in 2022.

8. Alejandro Pozuelo

Price: $11 million

A productof the Real Betis youth system, the Sevilla born midfielder was a journeyman as he played for several club across Europe. After playing four seasons in Belgium forGenk, Toronto FC signed himfor $11 millionin March 2019. He immediately settled in, winning MVP in 2020 while being named to the All Star game, also making the MLS Best Eleven twice. Now he’s at Inter Miami.

7. Brian Rodríguez

Price: $11.5 million

The Uruguayanwinger made his debut forPeñarol in March2018 and eventuallybecame a regular in the starting11. His talentquickly stood outand it did not takelong for MLS teamsto be interested.Los Angeles FC was the most interestedand eventually landed himin August 2019 for a fee of$11.5 million. Now he’s at Club America.

6. Talles Magno

Price: $12 million

New York City FC set their sights on Brazilian soccer to try and land agenerational talent. Talles Magno caught their eye, and it’s no surprise. The Vasco da Gama product was acquired for $12 million in 2021 after making more than 50 senior appearances as well as playing for Brazil’s youth teams.

5.Rodolfo Pizarro

Price: $12 million

Just like Inter Miami‘s inaugural MLS season, Rodolfo Pizarro‘s signing left a lot to be desired. David Beckham’s forked out $12 million for the Monterrey star, but the Mexican was a shell of himself in his first year in South Beach. He was sent on loan to Rayados, but now he’s back in Miami trying to prove his worth.

4.Brenner

Price: $13 million

Cincinnati FCwent all in forBrennerin 2021, spending $13 million to get the promising striker from Sao Paulo. This is one of the moves that reflect the MLS is not a retirement league, but one that recruits and develops young talent.

3.Ezequiel Barco

Price: $15 million

Oneof Argentina’s most promising talents in recent years, Ezequiel Barco caughtAtlatna United’seye as a teenagerand joined the club for $15 million in 2018. However, he couldn’t fully live up to the expectations as fans only saw glimpses of his talent. In fact, he was sent on loan to River Plate.

2.Gonzalo Martínez

Price: $15.5 million

The man nicknamed “El Pity” was one of River Plate’s best players as they won the Copa Libertadores title in 2018. In fact, he scoredthe third goal to sealthe victory in the final against arch rivals Boca Juniors atthe Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

His performances attracted interested from several teams, but it was Atlanta United thatbeat everyone to the punch. In January 2019, the club announcedthe signing of the Argentine playmaker for $15.5 million, which set a record by then. Martinez is currently playing next to Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.

1. Thiago Almada

Price: $16 million

Unsurprisingly, Atlanta United broke their own record by makingThiago Almadathe most expensive incoming transfer in MLS history. The Five Stripes reached an agreement with Velez to get their jewel for $16 million, completing the transfer in 2022. Almada is proving Atlanta right, as he became the first active MLS player in history to win the World Cup, being part of Argentina’s roster at Qatar 2022.