New York Red Bulls II strung together a three-game winning streak thanks to a dramatic victory against Saint Louis FC last weekend, and grinded out a difficult draw on the road against Charlotte Independence Wednesday.
New York Red Bulls II are set to face Wilmington Hammerheads FC at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, NC, at 7 p.m. EDT (WATCH: Live stream available on NewYorkRedBulls.com/Live).
Next Wednesday, NYRB II will return home to Red Bulls Arena to take on Charlotte Independence for a second time at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
TICKETS: NYRB II vs. Charlotte Independence
Midweek draw at Charlotte
New York Red Bulls II claimed a draw in their first meeting with the Charlotte Independence on the road, 2-2. Franklin Castellanos opened the scoring in the 5th minute and Leo Stolz snatched the game-tying goal in the 72nd to clinch an important road point for NYRB II. The draw extended Red Bulls II’s unbeaten streak to four matches.
NYRB II were all over Charlotte early, pressing high and causing issues in defense. The efforts paid off after only five minutes when Castellanos grabbed his third goal of the season, and fourth in all competitions. The Red Bulls Academy product turned and fired with his left foot from the top of the penalty area, landing his shot into the lower right hand corner. The forward has now scored in back-to-back matches.
READ: Match Recap: New York Red Bulls II 2, Charlotte Independence 2
Charlotte answered with two goals of their own to take the lead, but Stolz would save Red Bulls II a point. In the 72nd minute, second half substitute Marius Obekop split defenders with a through ball to Stolz, who had little space to work with near the endline on the left side of the six-yard box. The goalkeeper charged, but Stolz kept his composure and knocked a right-footed shot towards the back post and into the side netting.
Next up for Red Bulls II is Wilmington on the road, but New York will welcome Charlotte Independence to Red Bull Arena next Wednesday.
Comeback Kids
Red Bulls II claimed victory in a nail-biter against Saint Louis FC last weekend at the Red Bulls Training Facility in East Hanover, 2-1. Marius Obekop opened the scoring in the 40th minute, and Franklin Castellanos claimed the game-winner deep in stoppage time.
New York took the early lead on a lethal counterattack. Saint Louis earned a corner kick, but the cross fell short and NYRB II gained possession. As numbers flew forward, James Thomas spotted Obekop and split the defense with an accurate through-ball. Obekop, alone with only the goalkeeper to beat, slotted away the chance to put NYRB II ahead.
READ: Match Recap: New York Red Bulls II 2, Saint Louis FC 1
Saint Louis grabbed one back in the second half and nearly took the lead when Mike Ambersley fired from point-blank range, but Santiago Castano came up with a big save to keep the match level. Castano finished the match with seven saves.
Second half substitute Castellanos linked up with Dan Bedoya for a quick one-two sequence at the top of the 18-yard box and buried his chance to claim all three points for Red Bulls II.
Going Fishing
Next up for Red Bulls II is the third and final regular season fixture with Wilmington Hammerheads FC, the USL affiliate of New York City FC. The match ironically falls on the day before the third final regular season New York Derby between New York Red Bulls and NYCFC, and features two teams in need of points.
Red Bulls II currently stand in fifth place of the Eastern Conference, seven points above the red line. However, with some teams holding on to games in hand on New York, NYRB II will hope to continue its positive road form. Red Bulls II are 4-3-3 away from home this season and are 3-1-1 in their last five road games.
Wilmington has struggled this season and currently dwell at the bottom of the standings. With 12 points from 20 games, making the playoffs seems unlikely, but there’s no better way to boost morale than winning against a New York Red Bulls affiliate the day before the big derby. The Hammerheads, who are winless in their last six matches (0-5-1), are 1-1-0 against NYRB II this season.
Red Bulls II in MLS
Anatole Abang made a 13-minute appearance as a substitute last weekend against Philadelphia Union and scored a goal in the 94th minute. The goal cemented the victory for RBNY, 3-1. It was Abang’s third goal of the MLS regular season. He has scored four times in all competitions for the Red Bulls, and four goals for NYRB II. He also appeared for two minutes against Montreal Impact on Wednesday.
Karl Ouimette started and played the full 90 minutes at center back against his ex-club, Montreal Impact. The team allowed only one goal and earned a draw, 1-1. Ouimette also played seven minutes as a substitute last weekend against Philadelphia Union.
Anthony Wallace started and played the full 90 minutes at left back against Philadelphia Union last weekend. He help hold the Union to one goal in the match, a 3-1 win for New York.
Fast Facts about the four-match unbeaten streak
Dan Bedoya recorded points in three consecutive matches. He scored one goal against Harrisburg City Islanders, another goal against Richmond Kickers, and supplied the game-winning assist in stoppage time against Saint Louis FC.
Santiago Castano made 18 total saves in the first three matches. Castano, who has improved to 6-6-3 on the season, recorded one shutout and made a career-high 10 saves against Richmond Kickers.
Red Bulls II outscored their opponents 10-6, with goals coming from six different players. Juan Sanchez and Marius Obekop both tallied once, while Dan Bedoya,Chris Tsonis, Leo Stolz and Franklin Castellanos have scored twice.
