After some rain, the skies cleared up, and it became a beautiful evening for soccer at MSU Soccer Park in Montclair, New Jersey, where the Red Bulls II battled with Columbus Crew II. Getting the start for Red Bulls II were 15-year-old Adri Mehmeti and 16-year-old Julian Hall.
The first ten minutes were cagey as both teams felt each other out. In the 15th minute, Columbus Crew II produced the game’s first shot on goal. A Columbus forward released a wicked shot from the left side inside the 18-yard box that was saved bravely by Aidan Stokes. Stokes received medical treatment briefly after making the stop.
A Red Bull counterattack led to Frank Ssebufu having the ball inside the 18. Ssebufu took a shot that deflected off a Columbus defender and rolled in front of the goal. Julian Hall almost got to it, but it was trapped by a Columbus defender and cleared. The Red Bulls II took their first shot on goal in the 40th minute when Julian Hall played a through ball into the path of Malick Dembele, who ripped a low shot that ended up being deflected away by Columbus’s keeper.
Right after it looked like the Red Bulls had seized momentum, the Crew II scored about a minute before stoppage time in the first half. A cross came in from a corner kick and was redirected to the far side of the goal. There, Brent Adu-Gyamfi tapped it in to give the visitors the first lead of the game. The Red Bulls II, at times, looked like the better team but would feel hard done by to go into halftime down a goal.
In the second half, the Red Bulls gave up a goal in the 57th minute. A low cross evaded all possible intervention and, with a sliding effort, was roofed into the top of the Red Bulls goal by Gibran Rayo.
The Red Bulls II pulled one back shortly after that. After Malick Dembele was taken down inside the 18-yard box, the loose ball came to Red Bulls academy product Tanner Rosborough, who stepped up and ripped a low shot into the bottom left corner of the net for his first MLS NEXT Pro goal.
However, the Red Bulls did put together one play that threatened Columbus late in the second half. It involved a through ball coming down the right-hand side of the field to Tanner Rosborough, who picked it up and was one-on-one with the keeper. Instead of shooting, Rosborough passed across the face of the goal, but his pass missed everyone and went out of play.
While the Baby Bulls had a bit of a renaissance late in the second half, they got a little sloppy at defending in stoppage time, leading to them conceding a third goal. A turnover near midfield led to a breakaway for Crew II’s Aidan Gonzalez. Stokes then tripped Gonzalez, and a penalty was called. The penalty was scored into the left side of the net by Diego Almeida, which gave Columbus a 3-1 lead in stoppage time and effectively ended any hopes that the Red Bulls II were going to come back and tie the game up.
After the Red Bulls II scored, they failed to capitalize on the momentum shift. Columbus was too quick at defending. Every time a Red Bulls II player tried to penetrate deep into Columbus territory, the attack fizzled out quickly because of Columbus’s defending.
With the loss, the Red Bulls II fall to 6-7-3 on the season. Their next game is July 7 against Atlanta United II at MSU Soccer Park.
Be sure to check out JerseySportingNews.com for more Red Bulls II updates!
- Red Bulls Academy Product Scores as Red Bulls II Fall to Crew II - July 2, 2024
- Copa America a 'Dry Run' for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - June 26, 2024
- MetLife Matchup: Uruguay Square up with Bolivia at the Home of Giants/Jets - June 26, 2024
About The Author
