New York Red Bulls II host its second to last match of 2015 at Red Bull Arena this weekend when NYRB II face Harrisburg City Islanders. On Sunday, May 17, Red Bulls II will play its first ever match in Manhattan at its future home, Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium at Columbia University. Red Bulls II will return to Red Bull Arena on Sunday, May 24, to host FC Montreal and finish the remainder of the season in New York City.
New York Red Bulls II host Harrisburg City Islanders at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, May 9 at 2 p.m. EDT (WATCH: Live stream available on NewYorkRedBulls.com/Live).
Red Bulls II back in the win column
In a match which featured two ties and three lead changes, Red Bulls II claimed its second win of the season against Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 3-2. Anthony Wallace’s game-winner clinched the victory for Red Bulls II in the 94th minute.
NYRB II opened the scoring in the 6th minute on an own goal when Manolo Sanchez’s cross was deflected into the net by Pittsburgh defender Fejiro Okiomah. Two minutes later, the Riverhounds responded with the equalizer on a Rob Vincent goal.
In the second half, Sanchez headed in for NYRB II in the 66th minute to re-gain the lead, but Pittsburgh’s Vincent snatched his second goal of the match to tie the game in the 84th minute.
Red Bulls II pressed forward in numbers, searching for a goal that arrived in the dying seconds of the match. A headed ball fell to Wallace just outside of the penalty area. He chested the ball down, lowered his head and drove his shot into the side netting across the face of goal in the 94th minute.
Pittsburgh battled to the very end, nearly finding another equalizer in the final moments of the match, but Andrew Jean-Baptiste cleared a Pittsburgh shot off the line to solidify the victory for Red Bulls II. With the win, New York Red Bulls II improves to 2-3-2 on the season.
Wonderful Wallace
Anthony Wallace, starting in his second match with Red Bulls II, scored his first goal for NYRB II on Sunday, May 3 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds. In a back-and-forth match, Wallace’s timely goal in the 94th minute won the match for Red Bulls II, 3-2. The goal was officially scored at the 93:44 mark, 16 seconds short of the full four minutes of injury time added by the referee.
Manolo Sanchez receives USL Team of the Week honors
Forward Manolo Sanchez was named to the USL Team of the Week for his performance against Pittsburgh Riverhounds in week seven. Sanchez, a fourth round draft pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, scored his first goal as a professional on a 66th minute header. He also created the opening goal of the match, slicing in a dangerous cross across the face of goal which was deflected in by Pittsburgh defender Fejiro Okiomah. The rookie out of Clemson nearly grabbed his second goal of the match after beating the goalkeeper. With one final defender positioned on the line, Sanchez attempted a chip, but missed by mere inches, striking the crossbar. Sanchez finished the game with one goal and four shots.
Harrisburg City Islanders
Harrisburg City (2-2-1, 7 points) enters this weekend’s match on a three match unbeaten streak. In its previous match, the Islanders routed Wilmington Hammerheads, 4-0. Ken Tribbett scored two goals and Jason Plumhoff added an assist and a goal to help Harrisburg earn its second victory of the season. As a result of his performance, Tribbett was named to the USL Team of the Week for week seven. The prior match resulted in a 1-1 draw against Charlotte Independence and a victory against FC Montreal, 2-1. Harrisburg is currently in seventh place of the Eastern Conference, one point behind Red Bulls II (2-3-2, 8 points).
Getting to know…Harrisburg City Islanders
- Established in 2004, Harrisburg is the official USL affiliate of MLS’ Philadelphia Union
- Harrisburg won the USL championship in 2007
- Former Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero, the first goalkeeper in MLS history to score a goal from open play, played for Harrisburg City Islanders in 2008 and 2010
- Defender Dante Leverock, a Bermuda international, has been capped in three matches and scored his first international goal in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification against Bahamas
- Harrisburg’s Yann Ekra, Jose Barril and Enric Valles are all products of prestigious European academies:
- Ekra joined French side’s Lyon youth system and is a capped France Under-15, U-16, U-17 and U-18 player.
- Barril came up through Real Madrid’s youth system from 1999-2011 and played two seasons with Real Madrid C.
- Valles, a 25-year-old from Catalonia, Spain, spent 1999-2008 in Barcelona’s youth system.
