After conceding their first goal of the tournament and trailing 1-0 midway through the first half, the Red Buls U15 team showed their collective mettle and stormed back to win the match 3-1 to advance to the MLS NEXT playoff finals.
Going up against LAFC, the top seed in the U15 bracket, the Red Bulls didn't back down, even when they trailed for the first time all tournament.
Down 1-0, A free kick from Jaylen Lester leveled the score.
It was all Red Bulls in the second half, with goals from Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti making the difference in what would end up being a 3-1 victory for New York.
The U15 team will now move on to the MLS NEXT playoff finals for the first time ever after dispatching LAFC, Seattle Sounders, Colorado Rapids and St. Louis Scott Gallagher. They will face CF Montréal, who was seeded as the 31st best team in the 32-team U15 bracket.
Montréal's cinderella run includes victories over Southern Soccer Academy, the second-seeded team in the bracket, Austin FC, Real Salt Lake and the third-seeded Strikers FC. The last two victories both came in penalty shootouts.
The Red Bulls and CF Montréal will face off on Saturday at Toyota Stadium at 11:30 EST.
