Nashville SC midfielder Alex Muyl is no stranger to Red Bull Arena.
Muyl spent the first four seasons of his Major League Soccer career with the New York Red Bulls. Now, he will face his former team for the first time ever, when Nashville SC travels to Harrison, New Jersey for a Friday night showdown.
“I'm very excited to be going to a place that I know so well and playing against some guys that I haven't been able to see in a long time,” Muyl said. “I'm sure it's gonna be something emotional for me.”
Muyl was traded from the Red Bulls in August 2020 and has since appeared in 25 regular season matches for Nashville SC. The attacking midfielder has become a creative contributor in the attack for the Boys in Gold, adding a goal against New England Revolution on May 8 and an assist against Inter Miami CF during the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
As a native of New York City, Muyl joined the Red Bulls’ academy in 2010 and won two U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championships with the Red Bulls at the U-16 and U-18 levels.
After his time in the Red Bulls’ academy, Muyl attended Georgetown University where he led the Hoyas to the program’s first men’s Big East Tournament title.
Muyl signed a homegrown contract with the Red Bulls after his junior season in 2015 and made his first MLS appearance in 2016. He scored his first MLS goal later that season against rival New York City F.C.
The match will be Nashville’s first meeting with the Red Bulls in club history. The Boys in Gold will travel to Harrison, New Jersey for their first match in nearly three weeks as MLS paused for international competition. Nashville’s last match was also on the road, a 2-2 draw against Atlanta United FC after trailing 2-0 on May 29.
“I think it's been a good couple of weeks where we've been able to work hard. I don't think that we've let any fitness slip, we definitely have been pushing,” Muyl said. “And now, almost coming up to a game, we've been able to come back a little bit so we're fresh for the game.”
Nashville SC currently sits above NYRB in the Eastern Conference standings with 11 points compared to the Red Bulls’ nine. The Red Bulls are coming off a 2-1 win over Orlando City while Nashville SC will be looking to continue its seven-match unbeaten run to start the season.
Muyl said he is excited to see family, friends and old teammates, but his focus will turn solely to soccer once the match begins.
“I'm happy to be going back somewhere that a lot of family can come and watch me play,” Muyl said. “A place where I have a lot of great memories.”
Fans can watch Muyl and the Boys in Gold take on the Red Bulls starting with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. CT on MyTV30 and NashvilleSC.com for in-market streaming and ESPN+ for out-of-market streaming.
