BROOKLYN, NY – The club’s first team (1-1-4, 7 points) continues their four-game home-stand tomorrow evening, Saturday June 8, for an 8:30 p.m. kickoff as they welcome the New York Red Bulls U23 squad (2-3-0, 6 points) to Poly Prep Country Day School. The first team has drawn four times in their previous five games with the exception of one loss to Reading. The most recent match featured a second-consecutive rain shortened outing vs. the Long Island Rough Riders in Brooklyn (74’ 2-2) The Red Bulls have started slower than usual, as they have matched their loss total from 2018 through just five games so far in 2019. They were stunned by the Rough Riders on Saturday evening at Hofstra with an 87’ minute opposition goal to hand them their third loss of the short season. Each club is one win away from a top-three position in the Mid-Atlantic division.
ALL TIME SERIES:
The first team trails the overall series 0-6-0 against the Red Bulls U23 squad, dating back to the 2017 season. Looking back to the most recent contest against the two clubs, a 7-0 loss took place from Aviators Sports and Events Center on June 25, 2018. USL League Two Top 100 Players to Watch selection, Brian Saramago would put home the first two goals of the contest within the first eight minutes of action. Followed by a pair more from Fernandez and Kouma. In the second half of the contest, three more goals were scored by Kouma, Zajec, and Ryan. The seven goals scored were put home within 75 minutes of play. The Red Bulls currently are outscoring the first team 23-3 in the last five meetings dating back to 2017 at Belson Stadium.
SCOUTING THE RED BULLS:
Following a statement season-opening victory against the Evergreen Hammers by a score of 6-0, the New York Red Bulls U23 squad fell back to Earth, and fell in three consecutive contests against the Cedar Stars Rush, Long Island Rough Riders, and Reading United AC. Being led by a group of returning veterans along with a new cast, the Red Bulls are simply a different squad this season. On the list of “USL Top 50 Prospects” include defender Carlo Ritaccio (#3 on list/University of Akron), forward William Herve (#6 on list/University of Maryland), forward Brian Saramago (#19 on list/Loyola Maryland), and the academy’s own midfielder John Tolkin (#47 on list/Red Bulls Academy). Amidst the changes include draftees in the 2019 MLS Superdraft, goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, Janos Loebe and Rashid Nuhu. All of which, have done damage against the first team in their tenures with the U23 academy team. Regaining their momentum heading into Brooklyn, the Red Bulls took down the Lehigh Valley United in Allentown by a score of 2-1on Wednesday evening. Jonathan Filipe, and Brian Saramago scored the pair of goals to obtain the trio of points to get their squad back in the win column.
INJURY UPDATES:
Defender Kalley Muntaha remains week-to-week with a hamstring injury. He injured the lower-body against the Ocean City Nor’easters on May 18 in Brooklyn. Goalkeeper Babucarr Ceesay left the Lehigh Valley contest on June 1 with a lower-body injury. The Bryant and Stratton goalkeeper did not start in the back-to-back the following day, and was subbed in for Andrew Pereira. Ceesay’s status is unknown, and will be reevaluated at practice prior to the game on Saturday. Midfielder Thriston Briscoe is still out with an ankle injury that was suffered on May 25 at Reading United AC. Goalkeeper Jason Belfon also remains out with an injury he sustained during the aforementioned Reading United contest on Memorial Day weekend.
LAST TIME OUT:
The opening minutes of the rescheduled match seemed to prove fatigue for each respective club as possession remained idle in each respective zone for the first 10 minutes of action. The 12’ minute proved to be a wake-up call for the first team, as Alexander Dexter slid one home past goalkeeper Andrew Pereira. The first assist would come from the cleats of Renato Kazlauric. Putting their faces into sand, and giving up was not on the minds of the first team, as forward DeAndre Gordon came across the right wing to put one home just to the left of the diving Andrew Withers to knot the score at one. Following the resurgence from the crowd in Brooklyn, unforced errors seemed to plague the first team once again, with a turnover in the defensive zone just eight minutes following the equalizer. Long Island’s Pierre Cayet shot on target, but Periera was there to catch the ball safely at the 30’ minute mark. The tide began to shift in the direction of “chippy” for both squads as the fouls began adding up. Rough Riders defender would proceed to go one on one against Sory Konate, but the opposition would get the best of the former 2000’s player, who was down with a lower-back injury. Retaliation efforts seemed to be the next remaining option for the first team, as a ball between Alexander Dexter and Johan Mauritzson would be fought between the two that was played cleanly, before fellow defender Kyle Parrish came to the rescue and shoved Dexter to the ground. The officials believed giving offsetting yellow cards would be the proper ruling to end the half knotted at one. Five minutes into the second half, disaster struck for the first team as Renato Kazlauric for the Rough Riders would send one over the head of Andrew Pereira for the go-ahead lead at the 50’ minute mark. The first team would respond within the next possession as Sory Konate netted one past Withers off a throw-in from Tomasso Davico for the second goal of the contest. This would be Konate’s first goal of the season, and his first in USL League Two play. Few substitutions were made by each respective team, and a yellow card would be issued to Johan Mauritzson at the 68’ minute of action. Just six minutes following the stoppage of play, the match was halted due to lightning in the vicinity. Each club mutually agreed to cancel the remainder of the game and take a draw. The score would hold up to be the club’s highest draw total in USL competition. For the Rough Riders, this would be their first draw of the 2019 season.
UP NEXT:
The club’s first team continues their homestand against the Reading United AC on Wednesday, June 12 for an 8:30 p.m. kickoff from Poly Prep Country Day School. The contest will be broadcast on the I-95 Sports and Entertainment Network, and simulcast on YouTube.com/FAEuro
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