The last time Cade Cowell had seen Red Bull New York head coach Michael Bradley, Cowell was an up-and-coming MLS star and Bradley was still on the pitch as a player.
Thinking back to the pair of matches that Cowell, 22, played against Bradley — then playing for Toronto FC — in 2022 and 2023, the newest member of Red Bull New York couldn’t remember the scores, but he did recall the presence the U.S. Men’s National Team great had on the field.
“I just remember he was controlling the whole midfield and he was just a leader and a captain out there,” Cowell told The Post in a Zoom interview. “It was really cool to see that.”
Fast forward to the present day, and Cowell will see Bradley’s leadership firsthand as the club’s biggest offseason acquisition returns to the United States after spending two seasons in Liga MX in Mexico. The winger joined RBNY on a one-year loan from Chivas Guadalajara.
Cowell’s time in Mexico’s top division of soccer was met with mixed results, and his return to MLS, where he started with the San Jose Earthquakes, will allow him to get more playing time and make a late push to get back on the USMNT’s radar ahead of the World Cup in June.
Cowell has made 11 appearances for the senior national team during his career, but he has not earned a call-up by USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino since November 2024.
“I think all I need is a couple more great opportunities, which I will receive [in New York],” Cowell said. “If I get the chance, I’ll make the most of it. But I’m really just hoping for one more chance to prove myself and show that I can compete to try and make that roster like everyone else is doing right now. The [U.S. Men’s National Team] is doing really well, so it is hard to break in right now, and you know it is this year, so it is getting close. But I’m hoping for one more chance, and I think it will happen.”
The next USMNT camp isn’t until the end of March, but Pochettino’s club has been finding its stride, having not lost a match since a 2-0 loss to South Korea in September at Sports Illustrated Stadium. They have also had statement-making wins over Paraguay, which the United States will play in the group stage of the World Cup later this year, and Uruguay in November.
Breaking into the conversation for the U.S. World Cup roster will not be an easy task, but having one of the USMNT’s biggest names as his new head coach could help. Cowell said that he was looking forward to working with Bradley and that he would “definitely ask the questions” to the American soccer great about what to do to improve his roster chances for the U.S. squad.
The new RBNY star said he did hope that Bradley could help him read the game better and use his speed more strategically. “Any advantage to where I can use my speed, I think he’ll help me a lot with,” Cowell said.
The 22-year-old winger’s role with Red Bull New York isn’t entirely clear, but it will be mapped out now that the team has come back together. Cowell met with Bradley when he was in town to sign his contract, but the real work will come when training camp opens.
Players reported to the team facility over the weekend and Red Bull will begin its preseason schedule later in the month during a 10-day training stint in Florida at IMG Academy.
Red Bull New York is coming off an offseason of drastic change as Bradley and head of sport Julian de Guzman have put their stamp on the club by adding Cowell, while getting rid of older players such as Sean Nealis and Lewis Morgan.
Multiple reports had surfaced over the weekend that the club had also traded academy product Daniel Edelman to St. Louis SC.
In his conversations with de Guzman and Bradley, Cowell did take one big thing away from it.
“Them not making the playoffs last year, they never want to repeat that ever again,” he said. “So to me, that’s something huge. Constantly, they want to win it. They want to win everything and I’m happy to just be a part of something like that. I hope I can help in any way I can.”
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