New York Red Bulls II completed its first regular season on Saturday in a loss to Rochester Rhinos. After 28 matches, New York prepares for its first ever USL Playoffs match this weekend, a win-or-go-home game for NYRB II.
New York Red Bulls II take on Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. ET (TICKETS: General Admission available for $10 at Box Office– or call 973.776.8966; WATCH: Live stream available on NewYorkRedBulls.com/Live).
Rochester Rhinos
New York Red Bulls II closed out the regular season with a 3-2 loss to the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday night at Sahlen’s Stadium. Both teams scored in stoppage time, with New York finding a late equalizer only to be undone by a header from Rochester’s Sean Totsch on the final play of the game.
New York looked to earn a point after mounting a two-goal comeback. Marius Obekop scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season in the 35th minute and assisted a stoppage-time goal from Stefano Bonomo, but the Rhinos stormed down to claim all three points. New York Red Bulls II will now set their sights on the USL playoffs, which are set to begin next weekend.
READ: MATCH RECAP: Rochester Rhinos 3, New York Red Bulls II 2
Red Bulls II are the No. 4-seed going into the USL Playoffs, and will host the No. 5-seed Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The winner will face Rochester Rhinos in the conference semifinals on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
New York’s first-round opponent in the 2015 USL Playoffs will be the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. This will be the third meeting between the clubs this season. The teams split their regular season series evenly with each club winning their home match.
Pittsburgh enters the playoffs unbeaten in its last five matches (2-0-3). A win against Harrisburg City Islanders last Saturday clinched the Riverhounds’ spot in the playoffs as the No. 5-seed. This season, Pittsburgh finished with the second most goals scored in the Eastern Conference and is led by goal-threat Rob Vincent. Vincent has scored 18 goals this season, including four against NYRB II.
NYRB II Regular Season Team Stats Leaders
- Points: Marius Obekop, 15
- Goals: Marius Obekop, 6
- Game-winning goals: Konrad Plewa, 2
- Assists: Daniel Bedoya, 4
- Saves: Santiago Castano, 83
- Games played: Chris Tsonis, 26
- Starts: Mike Da Fonte, 23
- Minutes: Mike Da Fonte, 2003
Vote on Friday! Chris Tsonis for USL Fan Favorite Player
Last week, USL held a poll to find out who your favorite New York Red Bulls II player is. The votes have been counted and the player to receive the most amount of votes was Chris Tsonis! The forward finished the season with five goals and three assists and appeared in all but two matches this season.
READ: From America to Iceland and Back: Get To Know Chris Tsonis
Last Friday during a draw for bracket seeding, Tsonis was awarded a first-round bye and awaits the winner of Toronto FC II’s Jordan Hamilton and Richmond Kickers’ Braeden Troyer.
