A six game road stand can make or break a team. With this young squad both playing together for the first time, and many playing their inaugural professional season it was always going to be tough. But New York Red Bulls II passed that test with flying colors under the steady guidance of John Wolyniec. Coming back home to face off against Harrisburg City Islanders should have been the easy part. But Bill Becher’s squad took a second victory of the season at Red Bull Arena.
Matchups against Harrisburg City are a great test for NYRB II because they are the essence of a well-drilled professional club. The Islanders came to Harrison with one purpose and that was to get the result, the style was irrelevant. The young NYRB II players are going to have to learn to score tough lessons as the season wears on.
Especially with the emergence of Anatole Abang in the first team there is no goal scorer riding in on a white knight to save the day. Chris Tsonis and Marius Obekop continue to create great opportunities for themselves; and their ability to finish is going to dictate this team’s place in the standings.
A key going forward for New York is going to be getting the first goal. That will allow them space behind the defense, and opportunities to high press opponents into mistakes. After the early goal in this match the Islanders expertly defended with 10 men and were too tough to break open.
The Kids
Yes it is hard to hear, but everyone’s favorite young NYRB II player Derrick Etienne is gone. Headed down to UVA to begin training camp, one of the brightest young stars of USL is done for the year. Don’t worry, it is ok to shed a tear, and yes I am here for a hug if you need it. Etienne grew as a player throughout the year combining his natural flair with grit and continuing to raise his game. This, of course will not be the last we see of this fantastic young player at RBA and boy did UVA get a ready-made star for their quest to repeat.
No need to stress of course there are still plenty of young players to be excited about on NYRB II. The most exciting of the bunch has to be Tyler Adams who has made the holding midfield role alongside Dan Metzger his permanent residence. In the last 8 matches, Adams has proven he can be a key contributor not just defensively but in the attack. His long balls over the top can break a defense and on Sunday it was his consistency in pushing the ball out wide that was on display. Adams has jaw dropping natural abilities, and is quickly learning how to use them in the professional game.
The Standings
In the end the major purpose of this team is development. And while you don’t want to focus solely on results learning what it like to navigate a playoff race is great experience for these players. This weekend brings the second “leg” of this home and home series and in some ways a must win game. It looks like New York and Harrisburg are going to be in a fight for the last playoff spot. Pittsburgh above them and St. Louis below may get involved but these head to head matches are going to be crucial to the final standings. This weekend is a great chance for this young team to show all it has learned from this first season so far.
