U-18 Red Bulls top New York Rival, 2-1: The Red Bull U-18s overcame a one-goal deficit at halftime to defeat Cosmos Academy on the road, 2-1. The U-18s struggled to find any rhythm in the early going, as the Cosmos controlled possession for most of the first half.
“The Cosmos made it very difficult for us today, especially in the first half. They worked very hard collectively and were a very organized, well coached team,” stated U-18 Head Coach Paul O’Donnell.
The Cosmos made the score 1-0 in the 36th minute off a brilliant goal from David Diosa. Right before half-time, Red Bull forward, Brandon Allen, nearly leveled the scored as he blasted a shot just over the crossbar from six yards out after a great cross from Scotty Thomsen. The U-18’s finally established more possession and began to create numerous chances in the second half. The Red Bulls got the equalizer in the 65th minute when Thomsen neatly finished a probing pass from substitute Konrad Plewa past the Cosmos goalkeeper. Then in the 77th minute, Allen notched the Red Bulls’ second goal when he connected on a Thomsen cross with his right foot shot into the upper ninety. The Red Bulls closed out the match by controlling possession and limiting the Cosmos to a few set piece chances that were dealt with well by Red Bulls goalkeeper Jake Wagmeister.
“At half-time we switched our formation to a 3-5-2, with the change we upped the tempo and started to pressure (Cosmos) back four more effectively and took advantage of the spaces out wide. This allowed us to create more chances and get dangerous crosses in,” stated Thomsen.
U-16s drop game to Cosmos: Despite creating several chances and controlling the game most of the way, the U-16 Red Bulls dropped a divisional match to the Cosmos at Aviator Field, 4-0. The Cosmos scored late in the first half and added three more second half goals for the win. The U-16s are back in action next week at Met Oval.
U-15 Red Bulls defeat NY Cosmos 3-1 on Sunday: The U-15 Red Bulls went on the road and defeated local rival NY Cosmos on Sunday by a final of 3-1. The U-15s controlled the game early and took the lead on a Vinnie Brunetti goal in the 15th minute. The Cosmos scored the equalizer right before halftime, taking some momentum into the break. The Red Bulls came out quickly in the second half and took the lead again when Brunetti notched his second goal of the game to make it 2-1. Zack Reed sealed the game for the Red Bulls when he finished the scoring to make the final 3-1.
U-14 Red Bulls shut out out Cosmos 1-0: The U14 Red Bulls took over first place when they defeated the NY Cosmos 1-0 Sunday in a tight, rivalry game. The game was very physical from the start with both teams looking to set the pace. The Red Bulls gained momentum 20 minutes into the game and created some opportunities on goal. Jake Oreman and Dante Perez both hit the post early in the second half and James Buonavita's shot was stopped from short range. It was Buonavita minutes later that got the Red Bulls on the board when he tucked a shot past the Cosmo keeper off a pass from Perez. The Red Bulls almost scored again when Tyler Pinho broke through alone but saw his shot saved by the Cosmos keeper. The Red Bulls defense was led by Kevin Politz and Brandon Tetro and goalkeeper Aleks Gogic got the shutout for the Red Bulls.
U-13 Red Bulls beat Oakwood 5-0: The U-13 Red Bulls dominated Oakwood on Sunday, to the tune of a 5-0 victory. The Red Bulls scored early on an own goal from an Oakwood defender that set the tempo for the rest of the game. The Red Bulls quickly scored two more on goals from Malik Stewart and AJ Kmiek, stretching the lead to 3-0 and putting it out of reach. Jonas Halvorsen and Marcelo Borgess scored in the second half to give the Red Bulls the 5-0 win.
"I thought we played very well today, offensively and defensively we were very good on the day," said U-13 Head Coach Antonio Meza.
