Match Information
- Charlotte Independence (23 points, eighth place) vs. New York Red Bulls II (31 points, fifth place)
- Wednesday, August 5, 2015
- Ramblewood Stadium, Charlotte, NC
- 7:30 p.m. EDT (WATCH: Live stream available on NewYorkRedBulls.com/Live)
- #CLTvNY – Follow on Twitter: @NYRBII
New York Red Bulls II, winners of three-straight, are set to take on the Charlotte Independence on Wednesday, in an opportunity to further climb the Eastern Conference standings. New York has won six of their last eight matches (6-2-0).
For New York, this will be the first of three games in eight days. It is also the first of two fixtures in North Carolina in the same week, with the following match set to be held on Saturday, August 8 versus Wilmington Hammerheads FC.
In their last match, Red Bulls II defeated Saint Louis FC in dramatic fashion, winning the game in stoppage time, 2-1. Marius Obekop opened the scoring in the 40th minute and Franklin Castellanos tallied the game winning goal deep in added time.
READ: Match Recap: New York Red Bulls II 2, Saint Louis FC 1
Dan Bedoya provided the game winning assist on Castellanos’ goal, and is currently enjoying a three-game point streak. The forward has recorded all five of his points this season, two goals and one assist, in the last three matches.
Goalkeeper Santiago Castano has also been a major contributor to the three-match winning streak. Against Saint Louis FC, he stopped seven shots to keep Red Bulls II in the match. This comes one week after making a career-high 10 saves in the win against Richmond Kickers, 4-3. Over the course of the last three results, Castano has contributed 18 saves.
Newcomer Stefano Bonomo made his USL regular season debut as a second half substitute versus Saint Louis, and recorded two shots and one shot on goal. Mike Da Fonte, who served a one-game suspension last weekend for yellow card accumulation, will be available for the midweek match.
This will be the first of two fixtures between the clubs. The second USL matchup between the sides will take place next week on Wednesday, August 12, at Red Bull Arena at Red Bull Arena at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
Charlotte Independence are also hitting their stride, entering this match after winning back-to-back games. In their previous match, they took down the formerly undefeated Rochester Rhinos, 4-2. The Independence are 2-2-1 in their last five games.
In order to beat Charlotte, New York will need to get by goalkeeper Matt Lampson, who has allowed only five goals in five games played this season. He has posted two shutouts and been instrumental in Charlotte’s current three match unbeaten run (2-0-1). Red Bulls II will also need to focus on Alex Martinez, who has scored in two straight matches.
