New York Red Bulls II is ready to take on Swope Park Rangers in the USL Cup Finals at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m.
Red Bulls II is the top seed in the USL Playoffs, facing the fourth seeded Swope Park Rangers. Red Bulls II are coming off back-to-back penalty kick shootout victories, while Swope Park made quick work of Whitecaps FC II in the Western Conference Finals, 3-0.
Check out how both teams fared over the course of the season:
New York Red Bulls II
Record: 21-3-6
Leading Scorer: Brandon Allen (15)
Assists Leader: Florian Valot (7)
Saves Leader: Ryan Meara (58)
Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Result: 4-0 victory over Orlando City B
Eastern Conference Semifinal Result: 3-3 (5-4) victory over Rochester Rhinos
Eastern Conference Final Result: 1-1 (4-3) victory over Louisville City FC
Swope Park Rangers
Record: 14-10-6
Leading Scorer: Mark Anthony Gonzalez (9)
Assists Leader: Ayrton Pinheiro Victor (7)
Postseason Saves Leader: Adrian Zendejas (7)
Western Conference Quarterfinal Result: 3-0 victory over LA Galaxy II
Western Conference Semifinal Result: 2-1 OT victory over Orange County Blues
Western Conference Final Result: 3-0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC II
Red Bulls II heads into Sunday looking to continue their momentum after another nail biting shootout victory over Louisville City FC. This is the first ever matchup between the two teams.
Red Bulls II is led by leading regular season and playoff goal scorer Brandon Allen, who had 15 goals in the regular season and three goals so far in the playoffs. Florian Valot leads NYRB II with six assists in the regular season and three assists this postseason. In goal, Ryan Meara leads the way with just 20 goals allowed through 24 games played.
Red Bulls II has now extended its unbeaten streak to 13 games and has won seven consecutive games at Red Bull Arena.
Swope Park Rangers will be a worthy opponent, as they are on a seven-game win streak heading into Sunday’s match. Their +7 goal differential is easily the highest in the playoffs.
Mark Anthony Gonzalez has led the attack with nine regular season goals, while Ayrton Pinheiro Victor recorded seven assists. Goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas has only played in eight games this season for Swope Park, but has been extremely stingy this postseason with 1 goal allowed in 300 minutes played. The Rangers have seen three red cards in the three postseason games, so that will be something to watch for in this game.
