Inside the 18: Jeremy Rafanello to Wear Captain’s Armband for First Time

IT18 14

New York Red Bulls II will travel to face Loudoun United on Wednesday, June 8, at Segra Field.

Giannis Nikopolidis will make his fourth start of the season in net for New York and his first since May 14 against Hartford Athletic.

The backline will consist of Curtis Ofori, Lamine Conte, Christopher Cragwell, and O’Vonte Mullings. Ofori will make his 10th appearance of the season, only four behind his total from last season of 14.

John Murphy returns to the starting eleven in the defensive midfield and will join Sam Williams, who is coming off a match against San Diego when he scored his first professional goal.

For the first time in his New York career, Jeremy Rafanello will wear the captain’s armband. He will make up the rest of the midfield along with Wiki Carmona and Adam Najem.

Jordan Adebayo-Smith, the leading scorer for Red Bulls II, will be the striker up top.

The bench will consist of Derrek Chan, Daniel De Leon, Michael Knapp, Erick Ruiz, Jonathan Filipe, Ezra Widman, and Illia Tyrkus. Ruiz, a 17-year-old Red Bulls Academy midfielder, is on the 18-man roster for the first time this season.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN+.

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