(NEWARK, NJ) The New York Red Bulls II entered the US Open Cup with quite a few question marks hanging over their heads. While the squad had been bolstered at times during the season by the inclusion of on-loan players from their MLS big brother, the US Open Cup presented the challenge of going it alone. After all, if senior team players played in the competition, they would be tied to the USL team for the remainder of the tournament. As a result, the team was made up of mostly younger academy commodities such as Tyler Adams, Juan Sanchez, Alex Clay and Dan Metzger. John Wolyniec has stated many times this season that results would not be a priority for the team, as the goal was to get playing time for younger guys who haven’t cracked the starting XI for the “big” Bulls, let alone the 18-man game day roster. The youngsters would start the tournament against the Jersey Express on a cool May night in Newark on the campus of NJIT.
U.S. OPEN CUP RECAP: NYRBII FALLS TO JERSEY EXPRESS
A run in the Open Cup has eluded the senior team for years, but maybe the baby Bulls could find their way in the tournament. While more difficult competition will surely await them, a cup tie allows teams to enter the field on nearly equal terms. There is no next week for the loser. Kill or be killed. Finding the right balance in the competition versus the league is something MLS teams have long struggled with. The advantage for the Red Bulls little brothers lies in their current philosophy. Not needing results in the league to justify their project allows them the unique opportunity to pour everything into the competition. Though ultimately unsuccessful on the night, several players got an extended run in the team and earned valuable experience along the way.
As usual, the results betrayed the place of both teams. The PDL side came out very physically and bossed the opening 45. NYRBII was forced to counter most of the first half. Any attempt for them to play possession was met with heavy challenges from the Express. This forced the Red Bulls into several tough spots when Jersey regained possession, relying mostly on service in from the left side. The half ended 0-0, but Red Bulls gave up several chances that would have otherwise seen a more experienced team come away with a trio of goals. In spite of the fact the Red Bulls were on the back foot, they still managed to have some dangerous moments, but lacked the final pass to complete any of their moves forward. There best chance of the first half came from a turnover on the right side that was crossed into Derrick Ettiene at the top of the box. The pass in was poor and Ettiene failed to control. Most of the attacking moves on the night were the same. At times, Red Bulls II had trouble finding space to create chances. Coach John Wolyneic touched on it after the game. “Juan and Derrick showed a little bit. It’s a little bit more difficult for 17, 18 year old attacking players to get things done against 22, 23, 24 year old players…When you are relying on teenagers to get your goals, it’s a little bit difficult. But, you know, Ettiene and Sanchez were close. I give credit to those guys as well.”
After the half, the USL side looked much improved and pressured Jersey Express putting in a number of chances. As they pushed up the field, Express finally found the breakthrough after a counter attack which produced a corner. The header on the set piece was buried by none other than former Red Bull player Chris Karcz. Karcz was the catalyst for much of Jersey Express’s attack on the night, but provided service from the flank rather than looking to finish. His header served as an example to his side on how to get things done in the box. It also reminded the Red Bulls II that you can do everything right, and still find yourselves on the losing end if you don’t take care of set piece defending.
Wolyneic echoed this sentiment after the game. “Well I mean the one thing I said to them is, you know, to be a professional soccer player is a difficult job, and someone is always there looking to grab your job from you. If you don’t take care, and do all the details, and do everything every day, and from minute 1 to minute 90 right, someone’s going to come along and take away your livelihood. That was the general message. More specific, no matter how much you put into a game, if you don’t handle set pieces well, that’s a way that, even if you have control of the game, the other team can take it from you if you don’t take care of your set pieces… I thought we were the better team in the first half. It’s actually funny, I think the best stretch we had was the five minutes before they scored. Sometimes, that’s what happens. You put more into it, and start to go forward, maybe start to feel some confidence and you let your guard down.”
After the goal, Jersey Express switched to a counter. From that point forward, New York managed to control the game and create chances, but never found the answer they needed. The USL side’s games this season have relied on loan players from Red Bull, especially on the scoring end, like Manolo Sanchez, Anatole Abang, and Leo Stolz. Without them, the team lacked the killer instinct in the final third. In spite of that, Wolyneic thought of the game as a chance for the young guys to step up to the plate. “Yea, I mean, it’s hard, but at the same time, we have good players, so we were good enough to win the game. We have Tyler out there, he’s 16, and he’s one of the better players on the field today. We’re not so concerned with age. The goal of this team is to be young. If given the chance, work with them for a couple of years, and see if they develop into first team players. “Do we miss those guys? Of course, they are good players. Leaders? We have some leaders out there that can lead for sure. They are all young players whether they are MLS players or USL guys. I just think it was a chance for some guys who haven’t gotten a good opportunity to show. And I thought we did.”
The loss may have been a bit bittersweet for the Red Bulls, as it was not without some positive performances. Tyler Adams showed a lot of poise playing as a central midfielder. In spite of the size advantage he faced, he used his body well to win balls and keep possession. His passing created most of the dangerous chances the young Bulls had on the night. Several of his through balls to the wings became dangerous crosses into the box. Colin Heffron also had a good game defensively. Most of Jersey’s attacks came down their left flank, in part to Karcz’s ability to whip in crosses, but I have to think it was also due to Heffron who gave attacking players very little space on the night, and still managed to venture forward into the attack. NYRBII will be back in action this weekend as part of a double header at Red Bull Arena with the senior team. They will take on FC Montreal, Montreal Impact’s USL affiliate. As the team has reiterated numerous times over the first couple of months of their existence, results are not important to the club, but surely they will feel let down after being ousted from the Cup. Will it be enough to light a fire in their belly in the future? Surely it must, but time will tell.
