New York Red Bulls II announced a flurry of roster moves Monday afternoon. The roster shakeup came on the heels of the team’s USL championship season, the first for the club. NY exercised options on Vincent Bezecourt, Junior Flemmings, David Najem, Aaron Long, Tim Schmoll and Florian Valot for the 2017 season. Zach Carroll and Zoumana Simpara had their options declined. Lastly, Stefano Bonomo, Dan Metzger, Devon Williams, Konrad Plewa and Rafael Diaz are free of contract.
NYRBII Announce Roster Moves
Carroll was a starting fixture for NYRBII throughout the year logging 2074 minutes, good for second best on the team. Zach Carroll formed a strong partnership with Aaron Long. The duo anchored the backline for the statistically the best defense in all of USL.
Simpara mostly saw the field in cameo roles, showing promise, but never quite finding the right combination with his teammates.
The players free of contract are a mixture of heavy hitters and role players that seemed to be fading from the team down the stretch. Rafa Diaz had trouble finding the field in part to Ryan Meara’s stellar play and consistency. Stefano Bonomo and Konrad Plewa were victims of circumstance. Bonomo lost his starting job during a suspension period to Florian Valot after the Frenchman put in some quality shifts. Konrad Plewa, sidelined by recovery from a stroke, had to contend with the rise of quality from David Najem, Noah Powder, and Kevin O’Toole at either wingback position.
Dan Metzger and Devon “Speedy” Williams were both critical pieces to the team throughout the year. Metzger’s performances, particularly in the playoffs, were critical to the team’s championship run. Speedy Williams lost the job while injured to Tyler Adams. The loss of Metzger could be the hardest for the team in 2017, but a glut of central talent on the senior team facilitated the move.
All of the returning players staked their claims for an encore.
From the New York Red Bulls press release:
Bezecourt, 23, tallied six goals and two assists in 18 games played this season. The St. Francis Brooklyn graduate totaled two goals and three assists in four playoff games, including a goal in the USL Cup Final. The midfielder also earned a USL Team of the Week nod during the regular season after overcoming a knee injury, which kept him out of the lineup for two months.
Flemmings, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, earned seven goals and four assists in 23 games played for NYRB II. The Jamaican youth international was twice named to the USL Team of the Week, one of which came after recording a goal and an assist in his Red Bulls II debut. The 20-year-old forward saw his season come to a close in September after undergoing season-ending knee surgery.
Valot, 23, signed with NYRB II in late June and went on to total two goals and six assists on the season. The Rider University graduate also earned a goal and an assist in the 2016 USL Playoffs. The forward, hailing from Monaco, France, was a member of Paris Saint-Germain’s youth academy before joining AS Monaco FC’s reserve team in 2011, where he played for three years.
Long, the 2016 USL Defender of the Year, made 22 appearances for Red Bulls II in the regular season and recorded a pair of goals. The 24-year-old led NYRB II’s defense to a season with 16 shutouts on the year. New York conceded only 21 goals in the regular season, and allowed multiple goals in a game just five times in 30 contests. Long was loaned to the Red Bulls and competed in the CONCACAF Champions League group stage, helping the club advance to the quarterfinal stage.
Najem, a native of Clifton, N.J., signed with the club in May and played 15 games. The defender played all four games in the playoffs and earned the game-winning assist in the USL Cup Final. The 24-year-old is a former Red Bulls academy player, who participated at the Red Bulls U-16, U-18 and U-23 levels before playing at Columbia University.
Schmoll, 23, played 24 games and scored one goal this season. The 6-foot-6 defender also played all four playoff games for NYRB II en route to the USL Cup championship. A native of Coppet, Switzerland, Schmoll formerly played for the Red Bulls U-23s while studying at Harvard.
The Red Bulls II will also continue to draw on their strong academy. In recent years, the academy has produced a number of fine players on the fringe of the current MLS squad. In the last year alone, players like Brandon Allen, Derrick Etienne Jr., Tyler Adams, and Sean Davis. If the academy continues to churn out talent, the USL team will continue to dip into that well.
