Following an important road victory last weekend in Canada, New York Red Bulls II finds themselves in a three-way tie for third place. With only four matches remaining this season, every result is vital for playoff contention in a crowded Eastern Conference.
New York Red Bulls II return to Red Bull Arena this weekend on Saturday, Aug. 29, where they will face Wilmington Hammerheads FC at 5 p.m. EDT (WATCH: Live stream available on NewYorkRedBulls.com/Live).
TICKETS: NYRB II vs. Wilmington Hammerheads FC
Red Bulls II blank Toronto
New York Red Bulls II won their tenth match of the season on the road against Toronto FC II, 2-0. Stefano Bonomo scored his second goal in two games while Speedy Williams tallied his first professional goal to clinch the victory.
Bonomo opened the scoring in the 47th minute, thanks to a cross from second half substitute Bolu Akinyode. The outside back received the ball in space on the left side of the penalty box and whipped in a curling ball to the forehead of Bonomo, who nodded home from close range.
Williams allowed NYRB II to take full control in the 77th minute after TFC II committed a foul near their own penalty area. Bonomo cleverly played a quick free kick forward to Williams, who turned and fired from distance. The driven ball took a slight deflection and soared into the back of the net to double New York’s lead. Minutes later, Toronto’s Adam Bouchard earned his second yellow card of the match and Toronto’s hopes of a comeback were depleted. The win boosted NYRB II to 10-8-6 and into a three-way tie for third place.
Shark Week pt. II
New York Red Bulls II enter Saturday’s match undefeated in back-to-back games. The defense, led by mainstay center backs Konrad Plewa and Mike Da Fonte, has allowed only one goal in the last two matches. Goalkeeper Santiago Castano has also added eight combined saves in the previous two matches. Following last weekend’s victory, Red Bulls II have lost only once in their last seven matches (4-1-2).
Stefano Bonomo has scored in consecutive matches for the first time in his professional career. Following a game-tying goal against Charlotte Independence, Bonomo tallied his first game winning goal last weekend against Toronto FC II. He also aided NYRB II’s second goal against TFC II, immediately collecting ball after a teammate drew a foul to play a quick free kick to Speedy Williams. Williams, who appeared to catch the defense off-guard, fired from distance and buried his first professional goal.
This is the fourth and final USL regular season matchup between New York and Wilmington. NYRB II is 1-2-0 through three matches against the Hammerheads and looks to draw level in the season series on Saturday. In their last encounter on Aug. 8, the Hammerheads claimed victory at home, 4-2. New York won its only match against the Hammerheads on the road on June 13, 1-0.
For Wilmington, whose playoff chances have diminished, they are a team with nothing to lose. However, their lone victory since June came against NYRB II and the Hammerheads would love nothing more than to win the season series at Red Bull Arena. New York will need to shut down Stefan Defregger and Qudus Lawal, who both enjoyed an impressive showing in their previous match against NYRB II. Defregger scored twice in the game, while Lawal recorded one assist and the eventual game winning goal.
Santiago Castano named to USL Team of the Week
Red Bulls II goalkeeper Santiago Castano was named to the USL Team of the Week for his performance against Toronto FC II. He made six saves in the match and earned his fourth clean sheet of the season. Castano is third in USL for saves this season with 74, and averages 4.11 saves per game. The goalkeeper has made 18 appearances this season and has posted a 1.67 goals against average.
READ: Santiago Castano named to USL Team of the Week
Stefano Bonomo was also named to the USL Team of the Week bench for his game winning goal against Toronto. He also earned his first professional assist by playing a quick free kick to Speedy Williams who scored his first goal of the season. Bonomo has two goals and one assist in five appearances with NYRB II, and has now scored in back-to-back matches.
Playoff Picture
Only four regular season matches remain for New York Red Bulls II in the team’s inaugural season. Although the team is tied for third place, the Eastern Conference playoff picture is crowded with much yet to be decided. New York currently stands in a three-way tie for third place. Alongside NYRB II in third place are Charleston Battery and Richmond Kickers, who share 36 points with Red Bulls II. All three teams have played 24 of the 28 regular season matches, and every result counts now more than ever.
The two teams looking to bump the third place teams or the sixth place Pittsburgh Riverhounds (32 points, 23 GP) are the seventh place Harrisburg City Islanders (31 points, 22 GP) and eighth place Charlotte Independence (29 points, 21 GP). With games in hand on NYRB II, New York will need to focus on getting results to apply pressure to the teams on the outside looking in.
The playoff format for USL is similar to MLS, where the top two teams in each conference receive a first round bye, while the third place team hosts the sixth place team, and the fourth place team hosts the fifth place team. All playoff matches are a single leg with the winner advancing to the next round.
