New York Red Bulls II prepares to take on Orlando City B in the first round of the USL Playoffs on Sunday, October 2. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
Red Bulls II enters the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and Orlando City B enters as the eighth seed.
Here’s how both teams fared over the regular season:
New York Red Bulls II
Record: 21-3-6
Leading Scorer: Brandon Allen (15)
Assists Leader: Derrick Etienne Jr., Florian Valot (6)
Saves Leader: Ryan Meara (54)
Orlando City B
Record: 9-13-8
Leading Scorer: Michael Cox (11)
Assists Leader: Pierre Da Silva (5)
Saves Leader: Mark Ridgers (106)
Red Bulls II arrives at the USL Playoffs after a record setting regular season. New York broke Orlando City SC’s previous USL record for league wins (19) by winning 21 out of their 30 games played. They also broke Orlando’s previous USL record for goals scored in a season (56) by netting an impressive 61 goals over the course of the regular season.
New York ended the regular season comfortably in first place with 69 points and a nine point gap separating them from second place Louisville City FC.
Individually, Red Bulls II impressed as well. Forward Brandon Allen lit up the scoresheet, netting 15 goals over the course of the regular season, ending up one goal shy of the Golden Boot trophy.
The Red Bulls II lineup runs deep with five players having scored five or more goals in the regular season. Derrick Etienne Jr. scored five goals in the regular season, but distributed six assists. Look out for back-and-forth play between Allen and Etienne Jr., which could be a thrill to watch against Orlando City B.
French midfielder Florian Valot has been hot recently for Red Bulls II. Over the course of the season, Valot bagged six assists and two goals in just 17 games played. Vincent Bezecourt enters the playoffs in great form as well, after scoring a brilliant free kick against Charleston to close out the regular season with six goals and two assists.
Orlando City B offers an attack that should keep Red Bulls II on their toes. Michael Cox, the club’s leading scorer, netted 11 goals over the course of the season. Pierre Da Silva will be another threat to New York. An Orlando City academy product, the midfielder finished the season with five assists over the course of 22 games played.
If playing, Hadji Barry could challenge Red Bulls II to the best of their abilities. The MLS SuperDraft first round pick and Orlando City first team player featured in Orlando’s final game of the USL regular season. In just 10 games with OCB, Barry has four goals and two assists.
