Red Bulls II is Red Hot
New York Red Bulls II is now on a five game winning streak, thanks to a 2-0 home victory over FC Cincinnati Sunday. Their next game is at 3 pm on Sunday, September 4, a short trip over to Goodman Stadium to play Bethlehem Steel FC.
Continuing the red theme, FC Cincinnati’s goalkeeper, Mitch Hildebrandt received a red card in the 11th minute, setting up a penalty kick goal for Brandon Allen. This goal by Brandon Allen was his 12th of the season, good for third most in the USL. Another foul in the box in the 90th minute led to a second penalty kick goal, this time put away by Derrick Etienne. Ryan Meara kept a clean sheet for the Red Bulls II, his third in a row and 14th on the season.
With this win, the Red Bulls II upped their first place record to 17-3-5, for a total of 56 points. The next best team, Louisville City FC, is six points behind us with only four games left for them to play. Red Bulls II now has a 7-2-4 home record.
Next Up: Bethlehem Steel FC
Bethlehem Steel FC is currently tenth in the eastern conference standings, with a record of 6-11-9. They are looking to turn around their eight game winless streak after tying Harrisburg City Islanders on Tuesday, 2-2. This is the third and final game between the two teams, with the Red Bulls II having won both of the first two games.
Defender Ryan Richter leads a balanced Steel offense with 13 points and the third most minutes played in the league. Watch out for midfielder James Chambers to make his presence felt, as he is tied for the league lead in yellow cards with 9 on the season.
This is the start of a three game road trip for Red Bulls II, with four of the final five regular season games away from home. Red Bulls II is 10-1-1 this season on the road. Seven points are needed over these five games to clinch the number one overall seed and regular season title.
Aaron Long Named to USL Team of the Week
New York Red Bulls II defender Aaron Long was named to the USL Team of the Week for his part in the two shutouts against Toronto FC II and FC Cincinnati. He played all 90 minutes both games and helped keep both teams off the board.
