With the MLS NEXT Regular season wrapping up, and international tournaments happening just about every week, Red Bulls Academy have had a jam-packed schedule that was full of success on every level, including professionally.
Here is a quick recap on everything you may have missed over the past month:
TOP OF THE TABLE
In what was a fantastic regular season for all age groups, every second of hard work that each squad put in was rewarded in the standings. The U13, U14, and U15 teams all topped their respective divisions after succeeding in both MLS NEXT and the MLS NEXT Flex competitions throughout the year.
The U13s posted a 19-1-3 record and tallied 60 points in 23 matches this season, which was good enough to top the Philadelphia Union Academy by three points. In the last match of the season, New York was able to defeat Philadelphia to secure the number one spot in the table and go into the summer as division champions. The U13s had even more success in the Bassevelde cup, but more on that later.
Success did not end with the U13s, as the U14 side also had a terrific regular season. The team were only defeated in one match, posting a 21-1-3 record with 66 points on the season to claim the top spot in the Mid-Atlantic Division.
The U15s followed suit, finishing at the top of the East (North) Division with an 8-2-1 record and 25 points in 11 matches played. Having already qualified for the MLS NEXT Playoffs because of the MLS NEXT Flex Tournament, all eyes shift to Dallas on June 17th when the boys will play for the MLS NEXT Cup. Read more on the entire U15 season here.
PRO DEBUTS, GOALS, AND RECORDS
With all the Academy success this past year, it is always important to see what the impact will be going forward in the Red Bull System, and we saw it come into full effect with New York Red Bulls II. Academy products Copeland Berkley, Aiden Jarvis, and Julian Hall have all logged significant minutes for the MLX NEXT Pro side to start their professional careers.
Defender Copeland Berkley made his professional debut on April 21st against New England after being subbed on in the 83rd minute. Since then, Berkley has appeared in five more matches, having started four of them and logging over 300 minutes.
Aiden Jarvis has had an important role in the midfield since he began participating in training with the second team, and debuted on May 7th against Philadelphia Union II. He made his first professional start on May 29th and has logged 117 minutes so far this season.
Last, but certainly not least, is forward Julian Hall, who has shined in his time with the second team up to this point. He has appeared in five matches, having started two and logged over 200 minutes so far, but the forward made a statement in his most recent appearance this past Sunday.
Hall made his second start on the season and instantly impacted the match on June 4th against New England Revolution II. The fifteen-year-old scored his first professional goal in the fourth minute of the match, which marked the youngest goal scorer in the club’s history. The records did not end there, as Julian was able to send in a perfect cross to find Oladayo Thomas for a goal, which cemented Hall as the youngest player to record an assist in club history as well. The forward passed fellow Red Bulls Academy product Serge Ngoma for both records, who was able to set them at sixteen-years-old.
TOURNAMENT TIME
It's been a busy time for the U13s and U12s, who each had an international tournaments in the month of June.
Most recently, the U13s competed in the Bassevelde Cup in Belgium against some of the world’s top academies. While the competition was tough in a tournament that has been dubbed the “Champions League” of U13 competitions, the boys put in maximum effort and went on to win the entire thing. Read a more in-depth breakdown of the tournament **here**.
The U12s just wrapped up competing in the Optima Sports Tournament in Leeds, England this past weekend. They were able to face some of the top talent in the world for their age group, going up against the Newcastle United, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, and Wolves academies over the course of a few days. Goalkeeper Tristan Kirk had a fantastic performance in the tournament, which earned him a nomination for Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
