New York Red Bulls II earned a vital victory last weekend to continue the team’s charge for the playoffs and currently stand tied in third place of the Eastern Conference with Charleston Battery. With three matches remaining in the season, New York faces its final home game of the regular season this weekend.
New York Red Bulls II take on Louisville City FC at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. EDT (WATCH: Live stream available on NewYorkRedBulls.com/Live).
TICKETS: NYRB II vs. Louisville City FC
Fishing for a playoff spot
New York Red Bulls II earned its second consecutive victory last weekend against Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 2-0. Manolo Sanchez opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, thanks to an assist from James Thomas, and Marius Obekop added his fifth goal of the season seven minutes later to clinch the win.
Red Bulls II jumped on the match from the first whistle, pressing high and forcing turnovers. By the end of the first half, New York recorded nine shots and prevented the Hammerheads from getting off a single shot. Wilmington’s first shot finally came in the 59th minute.
READ: Match Recap: NYRB II 2, Wilmington Hammerheads FC 0
Santiago Castano made two saves in the match and has now recorded shutouts in back-to-back matches. Karl Ouimette started and played the full 90 minutes at center back in his final appearance before reporting for international duty with Canada.
Final home match of the season vs. Louisville
Next up for New York Red Bulls II is second-place Louisville City FC in the final home match of the regular season. This is the second and final meeting of the USL regular season between these opponents. In the first fixture in Louisville, KY, New York emerged victorious, 2-0, thanks to goals from Konrad Plewa and Derrick Etienne.
In-form goalkeeper Santiago Castano has earned consecutive shutouts for the first time this season. Castano is currently third in USL for saves with 76 in 19 appearances and earned USL Team of the Week accolades the week prior for his six save performance against Toronto FC II on Aug. 22.
Marius Obekop earned his fifth goal of the season last weekend which ties him with Chris Tsonis for most goals scored on NYRB II. New York has scored the fourth most amount of goals in the Eastern Conference with 41, and are set to take on the joint highest scoring team in USL, Louisville City FC (48).
Louisville will enter the game this weekend after a midweek matchup with Harrisburg City Islanders. Prior to the Harrisburg match on Wednesday evening, Louisville are 2-2-1 in their last five matches.
The danger-man NYRB II will need to stop is Matt Fondy, Louisville’s top-scorer. The forward has scored 18 goals in 24 matches in the club’s inaugural season and will look to increase his totals against New York. Fondy currently stands in second place on the USL regular season scoring list.
James Thomas named to USL Team of the Week
Red Bulls II defender James Thomas was named to the USL Team of the Week for his performance in Week 24 against Wilmington Hammerheads FC. The defender earned the game winning assist on Manolo Sanchez’s goal in the 22nd minute and had a stellar day in defense. His efforts helped maintain a clean sheet in the win, 2-0. Thomas, who started and played the full 90 minutes, has appeared in 20 matches for NYRB II this season. The game winning assist was his second assist of the season.
Playoff Picture
Only three matches remain in New York Red Bulls II’s inaugural season, and as it stands, New York has earned 39 points in 25 matches and is tied for third place with Charleston Battery. The magic number for Red Bulls II is temporarily nine, which could change depending on the results of the teams dwelling just below the red line.
Louisville, who stands in second place, could be in reaching for NYRB II if they lose their midweek fixture with Harrisburg City Islanders. With a loss to Harrisburg and a New York win, Red Bulls II would be within three points of Louisville with the advantage of owning USL’s primary tiebreaker, head-to-head results. Currently behind NYRB II are Charleston Battery (39 points, 25 GP), who are tied with NYRB II on points, the fifth place Richmond Kickers (36 points, 25 GP), and sixth place Pittsburgh Riverhounds (35 points, 24 GP).
USL EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Just outside of the playoff picture are Harrisburg City Islanders (34 points, 23 GP), Charlotte Independence (33 points, 23 GP), and Saint Louis FC (26 points, 25 GP). FC Montreal, Toronto FC II and Wilmington Hammerheads FC have all been effectively eliminated from playoff contention.
The playoff format for USL is similar to MLS, where the top two teams in each conference receive a first round bye, while the third place team hosts the sixth place team, and the fourth place team hosts the fifth place team. All playoff matches are a single leg with the winner advancing to the next round.
