Red Bulls fall at Houston
The New York Red Bulls fell at Houston, 4-2, on Friday night. Mike Grella and Anatole Abang scored, but New York could not overcome four second half goals on the road.
Grella gave New York a first half lead with a strong individual effort, taking the ball in space on the left side of the box, beating his defender and putting a low strike by the Houston goalkeeper.
Houston tied the game early in the second half on a shot that deflected over a diving Luis Robles, leaving the Red Bulls goalkeeper no chance. The Dynamo then scored off of a corner kick before going ahead 3-1 on another deflected shot.
18-year-old Cameroonian striker Anatole Abang scored his first professional goal to pull New York within one, heading home a cross from countryman Marius Obekop.
With the Red Bulls pressing for an equalizer, Houston was able to score again on a counter attack to put the game away.
New York is now 4-4-5 on the year, and has a weekend off from league play before hosting a fourth round game in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, America’s domestic cup competition.
Next Up: Open Cup
The New York Red Bulls are set to enter the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a fourth-round match against the Atlanta Silverbacks of the North American Soccer league at Red Bull Arena on Tuesday, June 16. MLS teams enter in the fourth round of the competition.
The Silverbacks advanced to the fourth round with an extra-time road victory over Chattanooga FC. The Silverbacks have struggled so far in league play, going 1-5-3 to start their NASL season.
The Red Bulls staff are no stranger to the Open Cup. Head coach Jesse Marsch won four U.S. Open Cups as a player, including three with the Chicago Fire where he was teammates with his current assistant, Chris Armas. Marsch’s top assistant, Denis Hamlett, was an assistant coach with those Fire teams as well.
Miazga, U-20s take on Colombia in World Cup round of 16
Red Bulls homegrown center back Matt Miazga and the U.S. Under-20 team have advanced to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Round of 16, where they will take on Colombia on Wednesday, June 10, in New Zealand.
Miazga is the team’s starting center back. He played a full 90 minutes in each of the first two games, which the U.S. won – a 2-1 win over Myanmar and a 4-0 win over host New Zealand. Miazga was rested for the third round of group play after the U.S. had already secured a spot in the Round of 16.
Miazga, a product of the Red Bulls Academy, has performed solidly for the Red Bulls after taking over for veteran defender Ronald Zubar, who suffered an injury in the season opener.
NYRB II play to road draw at Montreal
New York Red Bulls II played to a 2-2 draw with FC Montreal on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo. Manolo Sanchez and Leo Stolz each scored for New York, but a Montreal goal in the 90th minute saw the home team take a share of the points.
NYRB II is now 3-5-4 on the season, and 0-2-2 on the road.
New York was off and running early thanks to Manolo Sanchez, who brought down a long pass from fellow MLS loanee Leo Stolz just inside the penalty area and launched a rocket from the right side that pinged off the crossbar and in to put NYRB II ahead just four minutes into the contest.
Montreal leveled midway through the second half, but Leo Stolz reclaimed the lead for New York with a beautiful free kick goal just before half time.
FC Montreal eventually tied the game with a goal just before stoppage time, but New York was able to earn the road point. It was the second of six consecutive road games for NYRB II. The team continues on with a match against Wilmington Hammerheads FC on Saturday evening.
Leo Stolz earns USL Team of the Week
Leo Stolz, New York’s first-round pick in the 2015 MLS draft, continues to perform well for NYRB II. Stolz, who has captained the team several times, has earned USL Team of the Week honors after scoring an excellent free-kick goal over the weekend.
Stolz’s curling shot from outside the penalty area gave NYRB II a 2-1 lead on the road, and was enough to earn the team a 2-2 draw in Montreal.
Stolz, a native of Munich, won the Hermann Mac Award last season. The Hermann Mac trophy is awarded to college soccer’s best player. The midfielder is a product of the 1860 Munich academy, and was a standout player at the University of California, Los Angeles, before signing with New York.
