New York Red Bulls II Defeat New York City FC II, 2-0 at MSU Soccer Park

May 15, 2023 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – New York Red Bulls II News Release

MONTCLAIR, N.J. – New York Red Bulls II (3-2-3, 14 pts.) defeated New York City FC II (3-3-1, 10 pts.) 2-0 on Sunday at MSU Soccer Park in the first New York Derby for MLS NEXT Pro.

New York came into the match looking to bounce back from a 2-1 loss against Philadelphia last week, and they proved to be up to the task. In a match that had plenty of high-quality chances, there was no shortage of action throughout both halves. While New York City FC II looked like they dominated possession on the stat sheet, that did not tell the full story of how the match played out.

At kickoff, the away side knocked on the door continuously with three chances in the final third, but New York City was unable to get a shot on target. As both teams settled in, Red Bulls II maintained solid possession and created opportunities of their own. Forward Elias Manoel made two solo runs in the opposing box, forcing the keeper to make a few tough saves.

From then until the end of the first half, Red Bulls II had a majority of the scoring opportunities. New York City were unable to make it into the final third even though they maintained most of the possession. Red Bulls II were able to capitalize off turnovers and force counterattacks that created shots on target, but none were able to find the back of the net.

With the match level at the half, both teams had to adjust to try and get on the scoresheet.

As the second half whistle sounded, it became evident that Red Bulls II had found the key to applying consistent pressure. This was shown as early at the 47th minute, when New York had a multitude of shots on the opposing keeper. With yet another chance in the box, defender Juan Gutierrez was able to draw a foul to secure a penalty kick for the home side.

Elias Manoel stepped up to take the penalty in his first MLS NEXT Pro appearance, and he was able to give Red Bulls II the lead to open the match’s scoring. The Brazilian slotted the penalty into the bottom right corner, giving the goalkeeper virtually no chance to make the save.

Even though they now had the lead, Red Bulls II did not settle there. Just two minutes later forward Ricardo Gorday found space on the left side to make a run and cross the ball in to Manoel. The ball took a deflection off Manoel that threw off the NYCFC II goalkeeper and allowed forward Frank Ssebufu to smash the ball into the open net to double the lead.

From then on, the…