The New York Red Bulls II (3 wins, 1 loss, 3 draws, 14 points) started off the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season on a six-match unbeaten streak. They had that streak snapped in their most recent game against the Columbus Crew II at their home field, MSU Soccer Park.
The six-match unbeaten streak set a club record but that’s in the rearview mirror now for head coach Ibrahim Sekagya and his team, who are now focused on making the 2024 season as successful as 2023 which saw Red Bulls II make the playoffs in their inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season.
"We knew that we started well, and these are the things that we know are going to happen in time. The most important thing is to not carry it away from that, we just have to think to the next game. We know that the game we lost was not our day. I think we had more chances than them and we had the opportunities to change the game, but we couldn't finish it. These are the things which we learn from, went back and watched the video. We are correcting our mistakes and now we are thinking to the next game." - Red Bulls II Head Coach, Ibrahim Sekagya
The point of having a feeder club is to develop players for the first team-- not winning. So far this year, several rookies have started to earn playing time with the Red Bulls II. They include but are not limited to 16-year-old academy product Tanner Rosborough and the Red Bulls 12th overall pick at the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Aidan O'Connor. The center back, O’Connor has made seven starts out of ten possible games this year for the Baby Bulls, while Rosborough has made five appearances as a substitute.
Coach Sekagya shed some light on how each of these prospects are doing.
"We saw Tanner when he came in, he’s a player with a lot of potential. He has the potential of running in behind. I think we’re going to see him more. This is a player we saw in the academy and now he’s with us and he’s doing a good job of being able to come in [as a sub] and trying to change the game."
"Talk about O’Connor, this is his first year and every game he’s growing up. I think this is a player we see has potential which is going to be a good defender from our team to the next level. He’s still learning our style of play but he’s going in the best direction which we see everyday he’s learning."
Like O’Connor, Sekagya played center back. Sekagya played two seasons with the New York Red Bulls first team which is where this year’s first round draft pick eventually wants to go. To do that, he will need to get better at these things according to his coach.
The most important is to be proactive. To be active, like defending ‘1 v 1’, being alone being in the moment of defending, this is the most difficult thing in our backline, so that they can stay 1 v 1. Managing every situation of long ball, shifting. There’s a bunch of things you need to learn and these are the things when you get it right in our system, it's going to be good for you. These are the things that are most difficult for a defender to get it in his first year. We know he’s growing up but each game he’s showing his potential.
Before suffering their first loss of the season on April 28, the Baby Bulls had scored first in each of their first six games of the season. In soccer, where goals can be scarce, that’s a great accomplishment. Coach Sekagya described this as a reward for sticking to their gameplan.
We talked about that from the beginning. We need to start from the front foot this is how we play. We needed to pin the [other] team in their half and every time when we get chances, we have to use it. This is what we worked on in the preseason and the things the players they’re doing it well and this is what we’ve been getting it from. As our style of play, we need to press higher and when you press higher, the reward is that. When we get the first goal every time.
Recently, there were milestones reached for two veteran Red Bulls II players. Those players are Frank Ssebufu and Omar Valencia, who both eclipsed 2,000 minutes with the club during last Sunday’s match. Last year, Ssebufu, a 22-year-old forward, burst onto the scene by scoring eight goals to go along with four assists in 26 appearances for the Red Bulls II. Valencia, a 19-year-old defender, was a big contributor as well, scattering two assists over 17 appearances.
Sekagya described both of them as needing more playing time to develop but also as already showing great promise.
"Those are two players…from the beginning, we said this is a player that has potential. Valencia has shown it already, he’s been on the first team roster. He’s showing everyday. Until he gets his opportunity. Frank Ssebufu is the same thing, his first year with the club, he showed ‘it’ and the more he’s going to [play] with the club, that’s going to be something which he’s going to learn more."
Looking ahead to their next game, the Baby Bulls will be on the road to face Inter Miami CF II (3-2-1) who currently are seventh place in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference. Miami is coming off a loss where their defense got exposed against New England Revolution II, but New York will also be trying to erase the memory of their most recent game.
Coach Sekagya described what his team’s game plan is going to be when they head down to what will most likely be a hot, humid environment in southern Florida.
"Coming from the loss now we're going to Miami. I think the two teams value the ball. For us, we want to press and we want to win the ball and this is going to be the same thing. As I talked to from the beginning, we don't think about the other game now we're just thinking that now we're going to Miami. It's going to be tough, but the most important for me is sticking to our style, play into our plan of the week, and then everything if we do it right, I think we will have a good game."
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday at Chase Stadium in Miami, Florida. The match can be viewed with the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
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