The New York Red Bulls II (13-4-4, 45 pts) blanked Philadelphia Union II (10-3-7, 42 pts) 2-0 on Monday night at MSU Soccer Park.
Mijahir Jimenez gave the home side a 1-0 edge in the 12th minute. He stripped the goalkeeper of the ball inside the 18-yard box and glided the ball into the back of the net, putting Red Bulls II up.
Jimenez doubled the lead right before first half stoppage time. Rafael Mosquera corralled the ball from just outside the penalty area, and slipped a pass to Jimenez. Jimenez, who was alone in the center of the box, beat the goalkeeper with a low try, extending the lead to 2-0.
Jimenez scored his fifth and six goals of the season. This was his second career MLS NEXT Pro multi-goal match.
The Panamanian native has scored five goals in his last four matches.
With his assist on the second Jimenez tally, Mosquera moved into a tie for the fifth-most assists in club history. He earned his 10th assist of his career, tying O’Vonte Mullings.
The midfielder has seven assists on the season and is tied with New England Revolution II midfielder Marco Dias for the third-most assist in MLS NEXT Pro.
Mosquera has tallied a goal contribution in four straight matches. He has five goal contributions in his last three matches.
Curtis Ofori made his 71st appearance tying him with Chris Lema for the second-most appearances in club history.
A pair of Red Bull Academy players made their MLS NEXT Pro debuts in the second half. Defender Sebasthian Chavez and midfielder Benjamin Rodriguez became the fourth and fifth Academy products to make their MLS NEXT Pro debuts.
With the win, Red Bulls II improved their home record this season to 7-1-2.
Following Monday’s match, New York will travel to Gilette Stadium to face New England Revolution II. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. ET with coverage available on Apple TV on MLS Season Pass.
