MONTCLAIR, N.J. (August 1, 2023) - New York Red Bulls II (10-6-4, 36 pts.) earn a victory in the second matchup of the season against Orlando City B (10-8-2, 33 pts.), 2-1, at MSU Soccer Park.
With Orlando winning the last match between these two sides, New York was looking for revenge in a crucial Eastern Conference matchup. Right from the opening whistle, it was apparent that Red Bulls II were playing with a chip on their shoulder.
New York came out of the gate hot by maintaining pressure with the ball, but were unable to put it together in the final third. As the teams began to trade possession back and forth, the breakthrough came in the 33rd minute.
Forward Wiki Carmona, who was featured in the starting lineup for the first time since April 16th, continued exactly where he left off. After receiving a ball from O’Vonte Mullings at around 25 yeards out, Carmona had a strike from distance that found the back of the net to give New York the lead. The goal was his fourth in just five matches played this season.
Red Bulls II went into the halftime break with a one goal lead, just as they did in the last match against Orlando, but this time the squad looked to close the door and claim all three points.
Orlando came out of the second half aggressive in an attempt to grab the equalizer, and they managed to do so in the 47th minute. After a misplay from A.J. Marcucci, Moises Tablante found the open net to put his side level.
From then on, the action went back and forth between the two sides, witch chances on both ends to take the lead. It wasn’t until the 77th minute that the eventual game winning goal would be found, and the scorer would come as no surprise to anyone.
New York drew a penalty kick on a harsh foul in the Orlando box, and Ugandan midfielder Ibrahim Kasule stepped up to try and continue his goal scoring streak. As he had done in his four previous penalty kicks, Kasule buried it. The midfielder has now scored a goal in seven straight matches and has ten in his past eleven.
With his goal, Kasule became the 17th player in club history to record double-digit goals during their Red Bulls II career and the first since Jeremy Rafanello, who achieved the mark during the 2022 season.
Red Bulls II were able to hold the lead and claim the victory at MSU Soccer Park. New York jumped Orlando in the standings and sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference with 36 points in 20 matches.
New York goes back on the road to face New England Revolution II on Sunday, August 6. Kickoff at Gillette Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. ET. Coverage will be on MLS Season Pass with Apple TV, the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.
Scoring Summary:
- NY - Wiki Carmona 4 (Mullings) 33’
- ORL - Moises Tablante 3 (Solís) 47’
- NY - Ibrahim Kasule 10 (penalty kick) 77’
Misconduct Summary
- ORL - Jorge Almaguer (caution, foul) 21’
- ORL - Cristian Medina (caution, foul) 24’
- NY - Ronald Donkor (caution, foul) 28’
- NY - Omar Valencia (caution, foul) 43’
- NY - Mohammed Sofo (caution, persistent infringement) 79’
- ORL - Shakur Mohammed (caution, foul) 90’
- NY - Rafael Mosquera (caution, foul) 90’+4
New York Red Bulls II: AJ Marcucci; Omar Valencia, Davi Alexandre (Juan Gutierrez, 68’), Matt Nocita, Copeland Berkley, Peter Stroud, Ronald Donkor (Rafael Mosquera, 68’), O’Vonte Mullings (Bento Estrela, 84’), Ibrahim Kasule (Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 78’), Wiki Carmona (Mohammed Sofo, 68’), Frank Ssebufu
Unused Subs: Alan Rutkowski, Erick Ruiz, Dija, Dylan Sullivan
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 ; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 ; FOULS: 31 ; POSSESSION: 44.9 ; CORNER KICKS: 4 ; SAVES: 1
Orlando City B: Javier Otero; Moises Tablante, Franco Pérez (Shakur Mohammed, 79’), Nabilai Kibunguchy, Abdi Salim, Cristian Medina, Jhon Solís, Juninho, Jorge Almaguer, Jack Lynn (Favian Loyola, 87’), Wilfredo Rivera (Alexander Freeman, 66’)
Unused Subs: Dominic Pereira, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 ; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 ; FOULS: 13 ; POSSESSION: 55.1 ; CORNER KICKS: 4 ; SAVES: 0
