Photo Credit: USL Soccer
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of New York Red Bulls II, the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls. Their establishment on January 21, 2015, represents the Red Bulls' commitment to investing in player development, solidifying their presence in U.S. soccer, and expanding their legacy.
NYRB II has served as a crucial platform for nurturing young talent, offering players a pathway to the first team while competing in a professional environment. In nine years, Red Bull II has seen:
67 players Make Their First Team Debut
467 Senior National Team Appearances
15 Different Countries
Six Players Have Represented the USMNT
Tyler Adams, Aaron Long, Brian White, John Micheal Tolkin, Daniel Edelman and Caden Clark
Over the years, the team has contributed to the growth of the club's academy system and has been a stepping stone for many players who have gone on to make their mark in Major League Soccer and beyond.
With it being the club's tenth birthday, here are the top five moments in the history of New York Red Bulls II.
5) The Club's First Ever Victory
On April 4, 2015, New York Red Bulls II secured their first-ever victory in club history with a dominant 4-1 win over Toronto FC II at Red Bull Arena. The lineup in the team's first-ever win saw a 22-year-old Sean Davis out of Duke, a 25-year-old Connor Lade in the starting XI while a 16-year-old Tyler Adams and 18-year-old Derrick Etienne Jr. made appearances off the bench.
Forward Anatole Abang opened the scoring in the first half, followed by goals from fullback Sean McLaws, forward Marius Obekop, and midfielder Leo Stolz to seal the victory. The team displayed a strong all-around performance, with Stolz's penalty in the 83rd minute capping off the scoring.
The win marked a historic milestone for the Red Bulls II as they began their inaugural season in style.
4) First Hudson River Derby, First Derby Win
With Red Bull and other second teams moving from the USL Championship to MLS NEXT Pro in 2023, the Hudson River Derby came alive in the 3rd Division of US Soccer.
On May 14th, 2023, New York City FC II would make the ride across the river to Montclair State University to take on the Red Bulls. Just like in May of 2015 at Red Bull Arena, the Red Bulls came away victorious at MSU Soccer Park.
The teams would play to a scoreless draw in the first half, but Red Bull came alive in the second 45'. Just two minutes into the half defender Juan Gutierrez was fouled in the box and the II's had a chance to take the lead. From the spot, 1st team striker Elias Manoel buried his penalty into the right corner of the net to mark the first-ever goal scored in the Derby.
Not two minutes later, Red Bull would double their advantage. Ricardo Gorday dribbling down the left wing beat his defender and his cross into the box went through Manoel and straight to Frank Ssebufu at the back post to make it 2-0 Red Bulls.
The next 40' would see Red Bull stand tall in their defensive half and goalkeeper Alan Rutkowski kept a clean sheet making two saves. The 16-year-old became the youngest player in Red Bulls II history to record a clean sheet, and the first Red Bulls Academy product to do so.
Once again, NEW YORK WAS RED!
3) The Club's First First-Ever Signing... Tyler Adams
On March 19, 2015, the New York Red Bulls II announced the first signing in team history. That day will be forever remembered as the day the Red Bulls signed Tyler Adams to a professional contract.
At the time Adams was just a highly touted prospect playing for the Red Bull academy and the U.S. U-17 residency program, but little did people know, Tyler was set to become one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation.
Adams, a native of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., was first introduced to the Red Bull organization at the age of 10 through the Red Bulls Regional Development School program. Two years later, he joined the Red Bulls Academy U13 team.
Tyler was the first player to graduate from the Red Bulls RDS program, progress through the academy system, and sign a professional contract. Later that year, Adams would sign a homegrown contract with the Red Bulls.
New York struck lightning in a bottle with Tyler Adams. With RBII, Tyler would make 34 appearances for the club over two seasons and lead it to its only championship. After the 2016 season, Adams would permanently make the jump to the first team, and he would not look back.
Since departing New York in 2019, Adams has gone on to play for RB Leipzig, Leeds United, and currently is at Bournemouth of the English Premier League. At the age of 25 Adams has already played in two of the biggest leagues in World soccer.
At the national team level, Adams has excelled, proudly representing the United States 42 times in his career and wearing the captain's armband for his country 13 times. Adams was an integral part of the USMNT run in the 2022 World Cup, where he played every minute, which ended in the Round of 16 to the Netherlands.
Tyler Adams was the club's first signing, but he's had the most impact and will go down as potentially the best player to ever wear the shirt.
2) Shocking Upset in the 2015 International Champions Cup
You might say to yourself, "Why is a New York Red Bulls moment on your list, Dan?" Well in fact, Red Bull II had a major impact on this game. When Jose Mourinho and the reigning Premier League champions Chelsea FC came to Harrison, New Jersey on July 22nd, 2015, seven players made their first team debuts for the first team.
Going up against the likes Loic Remy, Oscar, Cesc Fabregas, Gary Cahill, César Azpilicueta, Thibaut Courtois, and later Eden Hazard, Ramires, and Diego Costa is no easy task, but Red Bull held their own at Red Bull Arena.
Chelsea would take the lead in the 27th minute by way of Loic Remy. Victor Moses sprung Chelsea on the attack down the right wing to, at the time, Brazilian international Oscar, whose pass would lead to Remy curling a shot past goalkeeper Kyle Reynish. That would be the score at halftime.
In the second half, Red Bull turned the pressure up on the English side who just began their preseason tour. In a span of 22', Red Bull would score three goals, coming from Franklin Castellanos, Tyler Adams, and Sean Davis to send Red Bull Arena into a frenzy.
In the 75' Eden Hazard would pull one back for Chelsea, but just two minutes later, Davis would regain New York's two-goal advantage with his second goal of the game.
When the official blew his whistle for full-time, the New York Red Bulls pulled off one of the biggest upsets of 2015, when a bunch of reserve players went toe-to-toe with Chelsea Football Club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and beat them 4-2.
1) Campeones, Campeones, Ole Ole Ole!
To cap this list off, the number one spot obviously has to go to Red Bull II winning the USL Championship in just their second ever season in 2016.
That title winning team produced 19, count them, 19 players that would appear for the first team. That team was special, and that season ended with a fairy tale 5-1 victory over Swope Park Rangers in front of 5,000+ fans at Red Bull Arena.
Red Bull was dominant from the opening kick and took the lead 18' into the Final when Derrick Etienne Jr. beat the keeper from just outside the box. Striker Brandon Allen would make it 2-0 20' later and New York would hold that score line until late in the second half.
Swope Park would claw a goal back in the 74' off a broken free kick from Tomas Granitto, but that's the most amount of stress the fans would have to deal with that night.
New York would score three straight goals in the last seven minutes to seal the title, including two from Allen to complete his hat trick. Allen recorded the second hat trick in USL Cup Final history and was named Finals MVP.
To this day, if you look over at the parking garage right next to the field at MSU Soccer Park on the campus of Montclair State University, you will be reminded of that historic season in 2016 with a championship banner. That type of season, a reserve team winning USL Championship, will never happen again in New York Red Bulls II history.
So, with today being the 10-year anniversary of New York Red Bulls II, lets celebrate all the great moments the club has given us in its first decade of existence, while also looking ahead to what the future will look like in 2025 and beyond. Cheers!
