Emil Forsberg has been the difference-maker in New York’s recent meetings with Columbus, and he gets another chance to tilt the matchup when the Red Bulls host the Crew on Thursday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Kickoff for Columbus Vs Ny Red Bulls is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on Apple TV in English and Spanish.
Forsberg has five goal contributions in his last five matches across all competitions against Columbus, including three goals in three games against the Crew at Sports Illustrated Stadium. That run has come with New York leaning on him in the final third, and it has already produced one milestone this month: Forsberg logged his 20th career MLS assist in the Red Bulls’ 3-1 win over Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, May 9.
The assist total put Forsberg in rare company. He is now the seventh player in franchise history to record at least 20 MLS goals and 20 MLS assists in a Red Bulls career, a marker that underscores how much his arrival has changed the shape of New York’s attack. Against Columbus, the timing matters as much as the numbers. The Red Bulls have gone 23-15-7 at home against the Crew across all competitions, a record that gives them a long-running edge at their own ground and a reason to believe the matchup again favors them.
There is also a second layer to the night: Columbus arrives with pace in the legs. Jorge Ruvalcaba is second in MLS with 215 total sprints, a figure that points to the kind of constant movement New York will have to manage if it wants to control the game. That makes Forsberg’s efficiency even more important. If the Red Bulls can find him in the spaces he has already exploited against Columbus, they have the sort of direct threat that can decide a close game quickly.
The broadcast options are broad for a reason. Apple TV will carry the match in English and Spanish, while Red Bulls Radio will air it in English through the Red Bull New York app and RedBullNewYork.com. Fans with an Apple TV subscription can stream every MLS match with no local blackouts, adding another route into a game that arrives with both a familiar rivalry and a familiar New York storyline: when Forsberg is involved, the Red Bulls usually have a sharper edge. What makes Thursday different is that the pattern is already established, and Columbus has to walk into it knowing exactly who has done the damage before.
