Red Bulls II (USL) / Red Bulls U-23 (PDL)

Maybe it's time to start a new thread dedicated to all things related to the reserves? The word has already gone out for prospective trialists to apply for an invitation to the USL team's preseason camp.

There's an open question whether some of the recent cuts from the 1st team may be invited to join the USL side. For those cuts, they will have to earn a future first team contract just like everyone else, but for now they are free agents.

Would Dan Metzger deign to join the club he dissed as a reserve player? That would be quite a step down, but his pro prospects are much dimmer now than they were a couple of months ago.

Here's an interesting article about some of the MLS camp invites who may get shifted to the second team.

Bradenton Roster Filled With New Potential NYRB II ...

 

Just as a suspected, Dan Metzger slinks back into the fold.

I think a 12 mids to 3 defenders ratio is a little troubling. I can only hope there is a plan, like certain players are going to be tried out as converted defenders. Or the D will leak a lot of goals this season.

there are currently just 5 MLS loanees. If this is the case it certainly does put the emphasis on a core of 2nd team players who stay with the squad. Still the emphasis should be for those MLS guys to come in and dominate as it is the best way to get into MLS matches. There's also the same number of Academy players, plus Adams, so the kids are going to get some experience, too.

 

Clearly they are trying to replicate the first team as closely as possible.

 

One of the few defenders (Plewa) goes off hurt, but his (Heffron) replacement slides over from the outside and acquits himself well and the sub who came on did a good job at left back, too. Rochester dominated the opening half, but it was NY who drew what I thought was a soft penalty, then Stolz had saved. He's got a cultured left foot, but he'll have to do better with his chances. All in all, it wasn't a bad game. It was uneven, but that is minor league soccer. Obekop, Stolz and Castano looked good, but that's to be expected. Heffron was a pleasant surprised when he moved into the middle. The rest looked pretty raw.

 

I agree, too. I'm more responding to some of the fans who were there and getting worked up over the sloppy play. I'll take the sloppy play so long as I get to see some brilliance, too. They need to work on that.

Etienne in particular had several rough moments early in his sub appearance, but again settled in after a while. He played more as a 2nd striker in the hole/whole. Knowing this, he needs support and he needs to be more careful with the ball. That was a common thread for the Red Bulls. Too many of the players, especially the young ones need to learn they will have less time on the ball and creating space to maneuver is a must have skill for every professional.

 

So he would be about 20-21? An interesting pick-up.

 

Good game today resulting in a 4-1 win, with goals from Abang, Obekop, McLaws and Stolz. Etienne helped set up a couple of the goals and rung a shot off the crossbar.

There was a lot of open play with attacking thrusts form both teams and TFC seemed to have the edge in possession, but NY was ultimately more lethal in finishing opportunities.

 

It was a fun crowd and helped answer the question about whether folks would come out to see the 2nd team. I estimate there was about 1K at the game. I also had someone in JC later on who saw my Red Bulls warm up ask me if I had been to the game. People are aware.

Davis looks like a really good player with a first team future. I also think the cub will sign Etienne to a pro contract by mid-summer. An alternative will be to let him play his first fall season at UVA and then sign him to an MLS contract for next year so that he can start with the preseason camp. With the 20 or so D3 pro games he could potentially play this summer plus a fall season of D1 college soccer, he would have the equivalent of a 30+ game season, which would be an excellent prep for him to step up to MLS next year. He's still young, but he improved a great deal from his first game to the 2nd.

P.S. The question has been floated, why not sign Olasunde, too? It is possible that he doesn't want to sign yet. He may have ambitions of going to college or going abroad, or he may just want to take some time to consider his options. It is also possible, for the sake of argument, that Adams was seen as a better prospect for the Red Bulls. He's smart and versatile, literally hitting the ground running. Coming on as a sub for the injured Lade, he didn't seem to miss a beat, looking comfortable and combining well with teammates. If Olasunde is at least as good, the Red Bulls should push to sign him, too.