New York Red Bulls II is coming off two impressive road wins in only five days. New York pulled out two 2-1 victories, first against the Charlotte Independence on Saturday and then FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night.
Red Bulls II returns home this Saturday at 4 p.m. to face the Charleston Battery. (WATCH:USLsoccer.com).
Late rally against Cincinnati
On Wednesday night Red Bulls II silenced a crowd of over 16,000 with two late goals from Justin Bilyeu and Florian Valot.
Featured as the USL Game of the Week aired on ESPN 3, Cincinnati took the lead in the 61st minute after a calm finish from Jimmy McLaughlin.
New York pushed numerous bodies forward to try to level the match late in the game. The pressing paid off in the 83rd minute as New York won a free kick just outside the box after Vincent Bezecourt was fouled. After some deceptive movements in front of the wall, Justin Bilyeu struck a low left footed shot into the bottom corner to even the match.
Just three minutes later, Derrick Etienne Jr. found space on the left side and whipped in a cross that found the head of second half substitute Florian Valot. This was the Frenchman’s first goal with New York.
The assist for Etienne Jr. brings his season total to five, which leads the team and is tied for second most in the league.
Three-game road sweep and 12th win of the season
New York Red Bulls II was able to extend their unbeaten road streak with three road wins in a row. They are now 8-0-1 on the road this season. In their 18 outings thus far, they have produced 10 clean sheets.
The three road wins came over an 11-day stretch against FC Montreal, Charlotte Independence and FC Cincinnati. Red Bulls II outscored their opponents 8-4, bringing their season totals to 31 goals for and just 12 goals against.
Brandon Allen was named Week 16 USL Player of the Week for his three-goal performance against FC Montreal. In the three wins the Red Bulls II saw goals from six different players.
Derrick Etienne Jr. also served as a playmaker for the club during the away stand. Against Cincinnati he recorded his fifth assist of the season putting him in a tie or the second most in the USL.
With their win against Cincinnati, the Red Bulls tied their season total of wins during last year’s 2015 campaign. They have reached this mark with twelve games remaining in their regular season.
Next up: Charleston Battery
New York Red Bulls II welcomes Charleston Battery on Saturday, July 23 at 4 p.m. This is the first meeting of the season between the clubs.
In two all-time matchups, New York and Charleston have played to two 1-1 draws. Chris Tsonis, who scored the second most amount of goals for NYRB II in 2015, plays his first game against New York since signing with the Battery.
Charleston enters the match with a 9-4-5 record in fourth place of the Eastern Conference. They trail NYRB II by nine points in the standings.
