Chicago Fire FC II vs. New York Red Bulls II
SeatGeek Stadium – Bridgeview, IL
Sunday, April 30 – 6:00 p.m. ET
MLSNEXTPro.com
#CHIvNY
BRIDGEVIEW, IL. (April 30, 2023) - New York Red Bulls II (2-1-2, 9 pts.) travel to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL to face Chicago Fire FC II (2-3-0 6 pts.). Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET and coverage is available on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Red Bulls II are coming off their second consecutive win after going into New England to take on Revolution II and leave with three points in a 1-0 victory. The lone New York goal was the result of an Oladayo Thomas penalty shot that was taken in the 76th minute of the match. Great work by Ibrahim Kasule in the box led to him eventually drawing the penalty to give Thomas the first professional goal of his career. A.J. Marcucci’s stellar performance in goal over the past two matches has also been a main factor in the team’s success.
Chicago is on the opposite end of luck compared to New York when it comes to recent results. Having lost three in a row, all in regulation, Fire FC look to change that momentum going into today’s match. After starting the season off with two wins and scoring five goals in those matches, things took a turn for the worse when Chicago faced Columbus Crew 2 earlier this month to start the losing streak.
What has been the highlight of the year for New York has been the combination of performances given from the defense and goalkeeper. A.J. Marcucci and the defensive line have kept opponents to an average of one goal per match, including two clean sheets. Marcucci most recently had a six save performance in New England, where he also managed to save an opposing penalty shot to keep Revs II off the scoresheet. New signing Juan Gutierrez also made his debut, starting the match at center back and holding the clean sheet for 90 minutes.
New York have risen in the standings over their win streak, going from the bottom to fourth in the conference with nine points on the year. There is plenty of room for that lead to go away though, as Chicago sits at mid-table in ninth with six points.
The II’s managed to grab points in both of their away matches so far, with a draw in Atlanta and a win in New England, so they look for more of the same in Bridgeview. Chicago has struggled at home in their three matches, going 1-2-0 with three points.
Coverage is available on MLSNEXTPro.com
