New York Red Bulls U-23s hand Reading United AC their first loss of the season last Wednesday night at the Red Bulls Training Facility in Hanover, N.J.
Weekend Doubleheader
This coming weekend the Red Bulls U-23s will travel south for a match against the Baltimore Bohemians on Friday June 24, and then will face Evergreen FC the following day. Both kickoffs are set for 7 p.m.
This will be the second matchup between the two teams as the Bohemians came out on top 2-1 at the Red Bulls Training Facility. At the time that was only New York’s second game of the season and Baltimore’s fourth. Forward Jamie Marriam grabbed two goals in that match as Sevag Kherlopian finished off a cross from Jared Stroud to give the Red Bulls their tally.
The Bohemians sit in third place in the Mid Atlantic Division with New York just one spot behind them with one game in hand. Baltimore’s overall record on the season is 4-2-2 with 14 points. They have scored 15 goals while conceding nine in those eight games. They are coming off a 4-0 victory over Lehigh Valley United Sonic last week.
The following day the Red Bulls U-23s will travel further south and matchup against Evergreen FC in Virginia. This is the first of two matchups between the two teams. Evergreen FC find themselves in sixth place in the Mid Atlantic Division only to be in front of Lehigh Valley United Sonic. Evergreen FC has a total of eight points on the season, holding a record of 2-6-2. In those ten games, they have scored 11 times while conceding 25, by far the most in the Eastern Conference.
“Being on the road is always tough, but having the two games back to back makes this a huge challenge,” said starting midfielder Steven Echevarria. “However, I know it’s one that the guys are up for. Coach has done a good job of making our training sessions really intense and on consecutive days this week, so I think that will prepare us for the physical demands of the weekend. In addition, we have one of the deepest rosters in the league. Guys come off the bench and the level doesn’t drop. Six points this weekend is our main objective and our depth will be key.”
Spot in Eastern Conference Power Rankings
For the first time all season the New York Red Bulls U-23s have found a spot in the Eastern Conference Power Rankings for week seven. These rankings take the top six teams of that week from the three divisions in the Eastern Conference. They come in at number six after an important midweek result against the number one team in the Power Rankings, Reading United A8C.
The Red Bulls U-23s have hit the halfway mark of their season and sit in fourth place in the division. New York has totaled 11 points on the season with a record of 3-2-2, but have only lost once in their last five matches. In the seven games played the Red Bulls have scored ten goals while also conceding the same amount.
Sevag Kherlopian leads the way with three goals scored; while Arun Basuljevic has provided three assists on the season as well as tallying two goals.
“The team has come a long way,” said Echevarria. “There were a lot of new faces so it took us a little while to get in rythem and build that chemistry all successful teams have. When ic ompare how we’ve been performance wise from our first game to our last, I’d say we have become sharper, smarter and much more fit. Which is a testament to what the PDL has to offer to players in the offseason as they prepare for their college season. Beating Reading has given us confidence to make a run to the end of the season.”
