The New York Red Bulls made quick work of the reigning USL Championship winners, riding two first half goals from Mohammed Sofo to cruise past the Colorado Springs Switchbacks 4-1 in Round 4 of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Tuesday at a cold, wet, Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs.
Dennis Gjengaar and Sean Nealis added second half goals for the 2024 MLS Cup runners-up in its first Open Cup match of 2025. Anthony Fontana scored for the Switchbacks.
“This was a very good team, I was really surprised with the quality of the Switchbacks,” said New York Red Bulls coach Sandro Schwarz.
This was his first meeting against a USL Championship side since taking over as head coach of the Red Bulls before the 2024 season.
“They came out with a clear philosophy and made things difficult for us to play at times. This was a very good team,” Schwarz said.
It took the visitors time to adjust to the elevation, compounded with a steady rain that threatened throughout the game to turn to snow as temperatures hovered just above freezing.
The Switchbacks came out on its front foot pressuring the reserve-heavy MLS side. It wasn’t until after the first quarter of an hour mark that the field began to tilt in the Red Bulls’ favor.
“I said this to the guys, the rotation doesn’t mean we are coming here and only to collect some minutes for some,” Schwarz said. “We want to win. This competition is important. So we got the result we wanted today with some different players.”
Sofo gave the Red Bulls control of the game in the 16th minute with a solo effort inside the Switchbacks penalty area, turning his defender before sliding the ball just inside Christian Herera’s near post.
“What we saw out of (Sofo) today is the result of his development over the years,” Schwarz said. “He’s very aggressive, he’s very, very strong in the duel, very good in deep runs and then also to be able to make the last pass.”
With control of the run of play, it was only a matter of time before the Red Bulls picked up its second goal. Sofo, a former Red Bull II player, picked up his second on the night, connecting with Noah Eile to put Sofo in alone on Herera. Sofo had little difficulty making it 2-0 a minute before halftime.
“It looks like a miscommunication on that second goal that really changed the momentum of the game, ” Switchbacks’ coach James Chambers said. “Did they slice us open? No, I don’t think so. I don’t feel that way. I didn’t feel like they absolutely outplayed us. But they scored four bloody goals. So where did they come from? If they don’t slice us open? Is it the structure? We’ll have to have a look at the back, but I don’t feel like that, at this moment. I feel like it’s individual moments where we were not locked in.”
Like in the first half, the Switchbacks started the second half on its front foot, flashing two balls across the face of goal and forcing Red Bull goalkeeper, AJ Marcucci, to save with his feet to keep the two-goal advantage.
Gjengaar made it 3-0 in the 64th minute after a defensive lapse by the USL Championship side, allowing Sofo and Wiktor Bogacz to have passing practice at the edge of the penalty area. After a calm back and forth, Soto found Gjengaar at the top of the penalty area with plenty of time to slot his shot past Herrera.
Fontana pulled a goal back for the Switchbacks in the 71st minute, first-timing a cross from Matthew Real for what looked like an effortless goal to give the hosts a glimmer of hope before the Red Bulls’ Nealis turned the last five minutes of the match into a practice of restraint as tempers on both sides began to flare.
Nealis’ 85th minute goal was gifted to him after a failed clearance gave him time at the top of the penalty area to place the ball past a flailing Herrera.
“This is a very important, very important competition for us,” Schwarz said. “It’s not only to come here and see we got the result, especially in these competitions, but also to see how we played.
“This is a very important competition. Now the job has started.”
With the result, New York Red Bulls advance to the Round of 16 May 20 and 21.