Dan Metzger, Rafael Diaz, and now Aaron Long.
On Wednesday, Feb. 22, former Red Bulls II player Aaron Long was officially announced as an MLS player with the New York Red Bulls.
Later that evening, the defender started and played the full 90 minutes in New York’s 1-1 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal.
Long, 2016’s USL Defender of the Year, became the third member of last year’s New York Red Bulls II championship team to have signed an MLS contract with the first team.
“I think it’s great for Aaron, I couldn’t be more happy for him,” NYRB II head coach John Wolyniec said. “He put in a lot of work, he’s a quality player and he absolutely deserves it and I hope he continues to keep pushing himself forward within the group.”
The 24-year-old made 22 appearances for NYRB II in a record-setting regular season before being loaned to MLS on September 16.
“We are pleased to add Aaron to our MLS roster,” said Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch. “Aaron has shown a lot of development over the last year and has earned this opportunity. This is also a very proud moment for the club as we successfully transition another player from our USL team to a first-team contract.”
In addition to Metzger, Diaz and Long, Red Bulls II has helped other first team players such as Tyler Adams, Sean Davis, Alex Muyl, Derrick Etienne Jr., Ryan Meara and Justin Bilyeu transition into more consistent roles with the Red Bulls.
“For Red Bulls II, it’s great,” Wolyniec said. “We’re supposed to be taking guys and helping them take time to improve their game so they can make that step up, and it lets our staff know that we’re doing some great things.”
