May 28, 2022 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – Rochester New York FC News Release
Memorial Day weekend has always been seen as the unofficial start of summer.
It is quite fitting, then, that the two hottest teams in the MLS NEXT Pro will face off Sunday with a chance to earn the title “Hottest team in the league.”
For as good as RNY FC has been over the past month of the MLS NEXT Pro season, there has not been that ultimate heat check test to see just how good this team is.
Yes, the 3-0 win with 10-men over a Philadelphia Union II team that is ahead of Rochester in the standings was impressive, but it was so one-sided that you have to think maybe the Union (two games in hand on RNY FC) might be one of the teams battling for the fourth spot in the playoffs come September, and not the Eastern Conference title.
But that cannot be said about Columbus Crew 2: they are the real deal, with the best current points-per-game (2.67) in the entire 21-team MLS NEXT Pro. Columbus is legit, and is Rochester’s next opponent.
RNY FC will take on the Crew 2 in Columbus this Memorial Day weekend, for the first of two matches with the league leaders in the next four weeks. Rochester has won three in a row to move up to fifth in the table, but will be facing a team on a seven-game winning streak: Columbus has not dropped any points since the opening weekend.
The Crew 2 have done a good job limiting opponents to just five goals all season, and just three since that 2-0 loss to Inter Miami II on opening night. They keep the ball well, and do not make many mistakes in possession, so it will be up to RNY FC to force them into errors that could lead to goal-scoring opportunities.
This is the first of two games in five days for RNY FC, which should see Rochester pull even on games played with most of the teams around it in the table. A points haul from the two games (Thursday at home against Toronto FC II is the second match this week) should see RNY FC jump into the playoff spots as we move…
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