NYRB II Come From Behind To Earn Home Draw Vs. TFC II
New York Red Bulls II kicked off their season with a mostly new squad at Red Bull Arena on Saturday. That squad included a number of first team players with the likes of Zach Carroll, Ryan Meara, Sean Davis, Tyler Adams, Derrick Etienne, Alex Muyl, and Brandon Allen. The pressure would mostly be on those loaned player’s shoulders, as playing with the USL squad would give them significant minutes of first team soccer that they would otherwise miss by remaining with the full squad. The barrier of entry for most of these players, with maybe the exception of Carroll, was depth. Central midfield and forward depth is a mountain too steep to climb. Red Bull fans would be treated to a peek at the future with a midfield that would feature Sean Davis, Derrick Etienne, and Tyler Adams. Toronto was also a team with a new look from last year. Players like Mark Bloom and Molham Babouli would boost the quality from a team that finished 11th last year with a -26 goal differential.
The game started as well as it could have for the young Bulls. They spent the opening 30 minutes peppering shots at Alex Bono, the Toronto keeper. Just like their older brethren, RB II could not capitalize on those chances. Most of the shots came from Stefano Bonomo and Brandon Allen, but the shots were either blocked or right to the keeper. The best chance of the first half came from Alex Muyl, who was a pest throughout his nearly 60 minute spell. Muyl gathered in a cross at the corner of the six-yard box, unmarked. His shot from close range was well over the net. Toronto did their part in remaining patient. As the half wore on, the Red Bulls energy began to dip and their attack started to bypass a slow buildup with a penchant for the direct. This afforded TFC II the chance to effectively claw back into the game with some smart counter attack. They eventually found the opener from prolonged high pressure that led to a throw in the offensive half in the 38th minute. Molham Babouli received the ball and dribbled into the box close to the touchline before firing a low cross to wide-open Raheem Edwards who put the ball into an open net.
Toronto FC II would add another shortly before the half. This time, the Red Bulls failed to properly clear the ball after a corner. The ball was sent back in and Skylar Thomas beat the offside trap. He volleyed the ball with his right foot off the far post and in.
“Yeah, it was really deflating.” Said coach John Wolyniec after the match. “That’s sometimes one of the harder talks to give to a team, especially when you take a goal, what, 30 seconds before halftime, and to make it two, especially” After giving up the first goal, the Red Bulls looked deflated. Their movement of the ball seemed a little impatient and they looked like a team scrambling to find answers. When the team came out for the second half, the effects of the first half seemed to hang over the young Bull’s heads like a dark cloud on an otherwise sunny day. The Red Bulls would make the first change of the match in the 58th minute bringing on Vencent Bezecourt. They followed it up with another change in the 62nd. It would turn out to be just what the doctor ordered. Tim Schmoll left the game replaced by Devon “Speedy” Williams. The move pushed Aaron Long into the center of the defense, and Tyler Adams to right back.
The change in personnel signaled a shift in momentum. Just three minutes after the move to bring on “Speedy”, Derrick Etienne was pulled down in the box earning RB II the penalty. Etienne had a frustrating opening hour, but settled nicely to be instrumental in the buildup to both goals. Brandon Allen missed on the PK, but Bono failed to hold the ball and Allen was able to put his second effort into the net. With the goal came a newfound confidence for the Red Bulls. Allen would find an equalizer less than five minutes later.
Brandon Allen recognized the importance of Etiennne in the second half after the game. “Obviously it’s very exciting, but I have to my hats off to Derrick [Etienne] for earning the PK, and I think he helped me get my momentum for the second goal, so overall I thought it was good to come out with the tie. We’ll work out the rest in training, and we’re looking forward to the next game for sure.”
Allen’s brace in the 69th minute was the result of some very hard work by Etienne and a very well played pass by Sean Davis. Both players had a forgettable first half but managed to salvage the day with a solid shift to finish out the game. In the first half, despite finding a couple of chances, Davis seemed to be playing a passive game. Tyler Adams had a lot of the distribution out of the back and did well to find players on the wing. With the change to bring on Williams, the middle of the field seemed to open up and Davis was able to participate more in the attack by starting the moves into the attacking third. His pass to find Brandon Allen in the box was a sublime, and Allen’s deflected shot made sure that the chance didn’t go begging.
Next week, the Red Bulls head to Louisville who are coming off of a 1-0 win this past weekend. Last year the Red Bulls owned the series against Louisville winning both games with a goal differential of +3. If they want to continue their winning ways, they will need to ride the hot hand of Allen and hope to see more of what the Red Bulls had to offer in the second half. For now though, the home draw can still be seen as an accomplishment for a team that takes development more seriously than results.
Scoring Summary (Assist in parenthesis):
TOR: Raheem Edwards (Mo Babouli)
TOR: Skylar Thomas
NY: Brandon Allen
NY: Brandon Allen (Sean Davis)
Discipline Summary:
NY: Noah Powder, Caution 38’
TOR: Skylar Thomas, Caution 62’
NY: Stefano Bonomo, Caution 88’
Lineups:
NY: Ryan Meara, Noah Powder, Tim Schmoll (Speedy Williams, 62’), Zach Carroll (Mason Deeds, 89’), Aaron Long, Tyler Adams, Sean Davis, Derrick Etienne Jr., Alex Muyl (Vincent Bezecourt, 58’), Brandon Allen, Stefano Bonomo
Subs not used: Rafael Diaz, Dan Metzger, Junior Flemmings
TOR: Alex Bono, Mark Bloom, Mitch Taintor, Skylar Thomas, Anthony Osorio, Chris Mannella, Brian James (Adam Bouchard, 90+’), Aidan Daniels (Malik Johnson, 78’), Molham Babouli, Raheem Edwards, Sal Bernal (Martin Davis, 74’)
Photo by Bill Twomey Photography
