New York Red Bulls II will host Loudoun United FC in a matinee matchup on Saturday, April 20 at MSU Soccer Park. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. and the game will be live on ESPN+. Here are three things to watch for:
RED BULLS II LOOK TO CONTINUE HISTORIC START
The New York Red Bulls II have started the 2019 season with a 4-0-1 (13 points) mark, good for a share of the top spot in the Eastern Conference. This record breaks a previous franchise best from the USL Championship winning team in 2016 when they started 3-0-2 (11 points).
IRON MEN NEALIS AND LEMA
Through the first five games of the season, only defender Sean Nealis and midfielder Chris Lema have played every minute for the side. At this stage last season, midfielder Ethan Kutler and defender Niko De Vera were the only players to also appear in every minute of action. The all-time record for consecutive minutes started to begin a season is 1,620 minutes, held by former midfielder Arun Basuljevic in 2017.
ASSIST LEADER IN THE MAKING
Entering play on Saturday, midfielder Jared Stroud is tied with first team players Vincent Bezecourt and Florian Valot for the most career assists with NYRB II at 13. Head Coach John Wolyneic spoke highly of the second-year man saying, “he's a good player and we value him highly. He's going to be a leader on this team and he’s going to make plays for us for sure.”
Following Saturday’s match, NYRB II will return home on Sunday, April 28 to face Indy Eleven. Kick-off is set for 5 p.m. ET.
