MONTCLAIR, NJ– On Futures night, where young Red Bulls Academy players came to watch the game at MSU Soccer Park on the campus of Montclair State University, the New York Red Bulls (NYRB) II defeated New York City Footbal Club (NYCFC) II 4-2 in the third and final edition of the MLS NEXT Pro Hudson River Derby.
Following their last game against NYCFC II where they lost 5-2 in May, the Baby Bulls started off on the front foot, getting the game’s first scoring chance in the second minute off a corner kick. The corner came in low and skittered up into the air for NYRB II forward Mijahir Jimenez who headed it from the six yard box straight at NYCFC II goalkeeper Brennan Klein from close range. But the former Boston College goalkeeper was equal to the task.
Then the Baby Bulls broke through in the 14th minute. NYRB II Midfielder Andy Rojas picked out NYRB II forward Rafael Mosquera with a long through ball. Mosquera stopped on a dime inside the 18-yard box and slipped a pass over to NYRB II forward Mijahir Jimenez who one-timed the ball into the back of the net.
Despite the Red Bulls seizing the game early, poor transition defense led to NYCFC II grabbing the equalizer six minutes later. In the 20th minute, NYCFC II forward Julien Lacher was the spark that electrified the visiting fans with a moment of genius. Lacher broke through down the right side of the field and dribbled towards the edge of NYRB II’s box. He then sent a nifty ground cross to the center of the box where it was one-timed into the bottom left corner of the net by Uriel Zeitz, leveling the match.
That goal did more than just level the match, it shifted momentum into NYCFC II’s favor as they would add another goal 10 minutes later. This time, determination on the part of Lacher gave the visitors the lead. Lacher fought through two challenges and kept possession into the Red Bulls box. NYRB II goalkeeper Aidan Stokes came off his line to cut off Lacher’s angle but Lacher made a nifty pass across the face of goal to fellow forward Eligio Guarino who tapped it in to give NYCFC II the 2-1 lead.
Just four minutes later, the Baby Bulls tied the game. This time it was the famous “high press” that allowed Jimenez to win the ball back near the 18 yard box before sending a hard ground cross into the center where it was one-timed by NYRB II midfielder Nehuen Benedetti off the fingertips of Klein and into the bottom right corner of the net. The goal was Benedetti’s sixth in his last seven matches.
Then just four minutes after that, the home side took the lead again. The tandem of Mosquera and Jimenez contributed to another goal. This time, Mosquera pressed NYCFC defender Prince Amponsah into turning over the ball inside his own box. Mosquera took over possession and played a smart pass over to Jimenez who wasted no time finishing the chance and just like that, Red Bulls II had a 3-2 lead.
In the 43rd minute, the Red Bulls II had a golden opportunity when goalkeeper Aidan Stokes played a long ball over the top from his own box that eluded the NYCFC II backline and found Rojas. The Costa Rican then dribbled all the way to the edge of the 18 but a defender caught up to him and dispossessed him.
The two teams went into the dressing room after an eventful first half, with the Baby Bulls holding a 3-2 advantage.
Early on in the second half, the Baby Bulls kept the momentum going on their side. In the 52nd minute, the home side had two scoring chances. First Marcelo Morales shot hard from the left side of the field but it was parried by the goalkeeper. Then the ball bounced out to the edge of the 18 for Adri Mehmeti who volleyed but his effort went just wide.
In the 66th minute, Baby Bulls goalkeeper Aidan Stokes used his sure hands to stop a deadly strike from Julien Lacher from the center of the box.
10 minutes later the first subs were made. NYRB II Midfielder Nate Worth came on for Aiden Jarvis and forward Dennis Nelich was subbed in for Andy Rojas.
In the 88th minute, Stokes made a huge play, rushing out to intercept a NYCFC II through ball which he slid and maintained possession of, taking it away from an NYCFC II player.
Eight minutes of stoppage time were given by the referee and in the middle of that lengthy stoppage period, the Baby Bulls drew more blood. Panamanian forward Mijahir Jimenez became the youngest player in Red Bulls II history to score a hat trick, pouncing on NYCFC II defender Prince Amponsah who made a mess out of bouncing ball deep in his own half, dribbling it in and taking a shot that glanced off Klein into the net.
The game ended in a 4-2 decision in favor of the home team, New York Red Bulls II who also took the season series against their rivals two games to one. After the game, many Baby Bulls players could be seen signing autographs and even giving their jerseys and cleats to young fans who had come out to see them defeat NYCFC II on Futures Night.
I’m really happy for the players. I know these are fun games, spotlight comes on a little bit brighter. The rivalry weighs heavy and so I know it was something that we talked about even in the week, in the days leading up to the game. So, really, really happy for them. I thought you look at the game lot of really positive things, and we continue to try to move ourselves forward. – NYRB II head coach Michael Bradley
After scoring first, the Baby Bulls conceded two goals back-to-back, but they stayed the course and finished the first half on top. Aiden Jarvis described the resilience it took to stay focused at that point in the match.
Yeah, it was definitely great because, we’ve been through these situations before, so today, we took what we learned from other games and we applied it. It was a great response to end off the first half like that. – NYRB II midfielder Aiden Jarvis
The two men of the match for Red Bulls II were Mijahir Jimenez, who scored a hat trick and Rafael Mosquera, who had two assists. With his eighth and ninth career assists, Mosquera now has the sixth-most assists in club history, passing Derrick Etienne Jr. and Frank Ssebufu. Bradley described the success of the press on the evening and what his team did to make sure his forwards were in position to produce offense.
Our commitment and desire to really play against the ball and now find moments where we could really step up and press them and go after them. We won a lot of balls in good spots, and then in other moments, when you can’t, press right away, can you still be active? And can you still shift and move and step up in ways that are more connected, where you’re still making the game really hard on the other team? So I thought there was a lot of that. And as I said, we’ll look closely at it like we always do, make sure that the players see all the good things and continue to find ways where we can now improve and push them.
The Baby Bulls are next in action on July 27 at 2 p.m. ET against Chicago Fire II. Bradley added his thoughts on where his team is headed now that they’ve secured the derby season series.
You know, we’re continuing to make good strides. Obviously, as I’ve said a few times, the team was in a really good way. Ibra [Ibrahim Sekagya] did a great job. You know, his staff did a really good job in terms of now, helping me come in and make sure that, you know, we didn’t skip a beat. And so in all ways now, we’re trying to push these guys, they’re just scratching the surface in terms of now what it means to play, to compete, to be able to sustain it for longer periods and games to be more consistent. So we’re going to keep going.
The Baby Bulls remain atop the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference with the win, three points clear of the second place team, Philadelphia Union II. Their next home match will be August 11 against the Union II at MSU Soccer Park at 7 p.m. ET and that should be a cracking match given where the two teams are in the standings.
