FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (July 3, 2023) - New York Red Bulls II (8-4-4, 30 pts.) secured all three points on the road against Inter Miami CF II (4-10-2 14 pts.) in a 3-0 victory at DRV PNK Stadium last night.
Red Bulls II were coming off a match in which they had also put three goals on the board against FC Cincinnati 2 at MSU Soccer Park last week. Miami had two weeks off going into yesterday’s match and were looking to get in the win column for the first time in a month.
The defense was strong for the opening portion of the match, with neither team having a high quality chance to open the goal scoring. However, that quickly changed in the 14th minute. A strong play from Dija in midfield led him to drive the ball down the right wing, where he then sent in a low-driven cross to the feet of Frank Ssebufu, who found the back of the net with a difficult finish.
Ssebufu’s goal was his fourth of the season, in addition to being his third in the past four matches. The Ugandan has now scored in back-to-back matches for the first time this year.
For the rest of the first half, New York had a majority of the opportunities in the final third. Most of the attacking threat for Red Bulls II had opportunities, but it was not until the 45th minute that they were able to double the lead.
Frank Ssebufu made another fantastic tackle at midfield to take possession away from Miami and create space on the attack. He found O’Vonte Mullings, who took the ball into the 18 yeard box and sent a shot in that deflected right back to him, where he then played a beautiful lob over the keeper that gave him no chance to make the stop. The goal from Mullings was his first in MLS NEXT Pro, and the second in his professional career with New York.
Red Bulls II went into the halftime break with their second-straight two goal lead and looked to end the contest as quickly as they could.
Right as the second half began, New York began an attack. O’Vonte Mullings made his way into the penalty area and drew a penalty kick in the 46th minute, giving the squad their best chance to put this game away.
Ibrahim Kasule stepped up to take the penalty, and like he has done all season, he buried it. Kasule’s goal was his sixth of the season and the midfielder has now scored all six in the past seven matches, putting him in a tie for the third most goals among midfielders in MLS NEXT Pro.
From then on, New York stayed back and played for the win in Fort Lauderdale. A second yellow and red card to Jayden Reid in the 60th minute put the three-goal lead into question, but Red Bulls II were up for the task and maintained their strong defensive play.
With the clean sheet victory, Red Bulls II are now in a tie for second in the league in shutouts with six. A.J. Marcucci also added to his career clean sheet total, and he is now in sole possession of third in club history for the most shutouts with nine in his career, passing Rafael Diaz.
As a whole, New York now sits at sixth in MLS NEXT Pro in least goals allowed with 17, they also maintained their spot at first in the Eastern Conference.
New York Red Bulls II maintained their spot at fourth in the Eastern Conference with the win and moved up to sixth in the entire league. With the Northeast division being one of the most competitive divisions in MLS NEXT Pro, New York are proving that they are one of the top teams at the halfway point of the season.
New York will return home for the third and final round of the New York Derby against New York City FC II on Sunday, July 2. Kickoff from MSU Soccer Park is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. ET. Coverage will be on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.
