Jamaica, N.Y. (June 12, 2023) - New York Red Bulls II (6-4-3, 23 pts.) fell in the second match of the season against New York City FC II (7-3-1 23 pts.) in a 3-1 loss at Belson Stadium.
The two teams came into the match on a great run of form, with both sides winning four of their last five matches. Red Bulls II had just beaten New England Revolution II 4-1 and NYCFC II defeated Huntsville 4-3 in a three-goal comeback. The squads were looking to carry that energy into the second New York Derby of the year, and NYCFC II were able to do just that.
Both teams started their strong attacking play almost immediately, with chances at either end right from the opening whistle. New York City FC II struck first in the fifth minute after Francesco DiPonzio played a ball over the New York back line to find Piero Elias for the first goal of the match.
While they were down early, Red Bulls II did not slow down their attack in attempts to find the equalizer. In the 20th minute, NYRBII were able to draw a penalty kick for their best chance at that point in the match to get on the board. Forward Frank Ssebufu stepped up to take the penalty that ended up going over the crossbar as NYCFC II maintained their lead.
Using the momentum of the missed penalty, New York City drew a corner kick, and in the 22nd minute, a Jack Beer cross found the head of Jonathan Jimenez who doubled their lead to go up 2-0.
From that point until the end of the second half, Red Bulls II had a majority of the possession in an attempt to claw back from a two goal deficit. Just three minutes after New York City’s second, Red Bulls II midfielder Ibrahim Kasule made his way down the left side of the field and sent a cross into Frank Ssebufu, who was able to finish the ball into the right-side netting of the goal to put New York within one.
The goal was Ssebufu’s second of the season, putting him in a tie for second in the club so far this season. Kasule’s assist was his second in the past two matches, as he notched his first of the season last weekend against New England. His two assists put him in a tie with Oladayo Thomas for the club lead.
The score would remain the same going into halftime, with Red Bulls II having some life after an early two goal deficit.
The second half was more of the same from both teams, with attacking chances coming often, however the goals were not as abundant as they were in the first 45. Goalkeeper A.J. Marcucci made some fantastic saves to keep Red Bulls II in it, but the attack was not able to capitalize.
Fast forwarding to the 84th minute with the score still at 2-1, Piero Elias was able to grab his second goal of the match, this time from the penalty spot. New York City FC II, having taken a 3-1 lead, was now in the driver’s seat to close out the match.
New York Red Bulls II and NYCFC II are now tied in the Eastern Conference standings with 23 points a piece. Red Bulls II own the tiebreaker, but NYCFC II have a game in hand at this point in the season.
New York will stay on the road to face Crown Legacy FC on Sunday, June 18. Kickoff at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex is scheduled for 5:00 P.M. ET. Coverage will be on MLSNEXTPro.com, the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.
