Vincent Bezecourt was originally brought in as a trialist to Red Bulls camp on January 25, practicing with the first team, but during preseason, Bezecourt immediately caught the attention of Jesse Marsch.
“Vincent Bezecourt has done really well, he’s got a real soccer sense to him,” Marsch said. “It’s been an adjustment for him to understand how we play and physically understand how to commit to it. But every day I think he shows a little bit more savviness, a little bit more of an understanding as to how to adjust. We think he has a really bright future.”
On March 11, Bezecourt was brought into New York Red Bulls II camp. He quickly showed what he learned practicing with the first team, earning a USL contract on March 18.
The 5’7” midfielder played two years of college soccer at St. Francis Brooklyn. At St. Francis he played in 38 games and totaled 10 goals and nine assists.
With Red Bulls II, Bezecourt played in 18 games, logging 760 minutes. The 23-year-old was hurt during the middle of the season, but came back to provide a jolt to the team’s offense for the playoff run. In total, his injury kept him out from April 2 to June 19.
In the regular season, he totaled six goals and two assists, the third most goals and tied for fifth most assists on the team. He also earned USL Team of the Week honors after scoring three times and assisting on another over two games in mid-September.
In the playoffs, he appeared in all four games and played 409 minutes. Bezecourt scored two goals and tied for the playoff lead with three assists. He also scored his PK attempt in the shootout victory over Louisville FC to get Red Bulls II to the USL Championship game.
On the season, Bezecourt totaled 1,169 minutes, eight goals, and five assists.
New York was 16-2-4 in the 22 games Bezecourt played in this season. He started 11 times and came off the bench the other 11.
When asked about what players may compete for a spot on the first team next year, Jesse Marsch said the following about Valot during the end of year press conference on November 10: “I think Florian Valot and Vincent Bezecourt had great seasons, and they’ve shown…that they’re very good attacking players in that league. They’re smart, they’re creative, they fit the way we play.”
