HARRISON, N.J. (April 11, 2024) – New York Red Bulls II (3-0-1 11 pts.), came out on top in the first MLS NEXT Pro New York Derby of 2024 over New York City FC II (0-2-1 2 pts.) in a 1-0 contest.
The match was tightly contested from the opening whistle, with little to separate these two squads in their second match against each other in just eight days.
From the start, both sides went back and forth with chances in the final third but were unable to find their breakthrough. As would be a theme throughout the match, Red Bulls II goalkeeper Alan Rutkowski stepped up with crucial saves to keep New York City off the board.
The scoring, and eventual match winner, would be held off until the second half.
In the 63rd minute, a shot from Steven Sserwadda would deflect off a New York City defender inside the eighteen and resulted in the best opportunity of the match for Red Bulls II. Forward Roald Mitchell stepped up to take the penalty and buried it into the bottom right corner for the first lead of the match.
The goal put Mitchell into a tie for the league lead in MLS NEXT Pro with four. He also became the first player in Red Bulls II history to record four goals in the club’s first four league matches of a season.
From then on, the New York defense stood strong. The back line of Aidan O’Connor, Jair Collahuazo, Omar Valencia, and Dylan Sullivan were able to assist Rutkowski in stymieing the New York City attack to preserve the clean sheet.
With the victory, Red Bulls II extended their unbeaten run to four matches to start the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season, marking only the third time the club has accomplished the feat in league play across ten seasons (2016, 2019).
All three of New York’s victories this season have come on the road, which is only the second time the club has done so in its history and the first time since 2016.
New York will quickly turn to host Chicago Fire FC II at MSU Soccer Park on April 14. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. ET with coverage available on MLSNEXTPro.com, NewYorkRedBulls.com, and the New York Red Bulls app.
