JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A little less than a month after the New York Red Bulls showed support prior to their game with the LA Galaxy for Red Bulls II defender Konrad Plewa after the center back suffered a stroke, the 24-year-old provided a happy end to the story on Sunday as he made a return to action in NYRBII’s 2-0 victory against Bethlehem Steel FC.

Plewa, who suffered a stroke on July 30 after the team returned home from a game against the Richmond Kickers, entered in the 68th minute as a substitute for Kevin O’Toole. At Everbank Field on Monday afternoon, Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan – on international duty with the United States – said he was happy to hear about Plewa’s return to action.

“It’s amazing, because he’s part of our family,” said Kljestan. “We’re a tight-knit group from the USL team all the way up to the first team, and Konrad trains with the first team quite often, so he’s been around the guys for the last two years now, and he’s also a Seton Hall boy so we have that connection.”

Plewa has been a regular in first-team training since a year ago, having signed with the club after completing his college career with the Pirates. The support shown in t-shirts that read “two teams, one voice” on the front with Plewa’s name and number on the back illustrated the strong bond that has developed between the teams since the Red Bulls II kicked off last season.

“The connection between the USL team and the MLS team is pretty close,” said Kljestan. “A lot of those guys come and train with us. … We had a doubleheader last weekend where we played first and they played right after and a lot of us stuck around to watch their game and support the guys. They’re always supporting us, so like I said we’re a tight-knit group and we like to support them as much as we can.”

With Sunday’s victory, the Red Bulls II are closing in on the USL regular season championship with four points needed from the team’s final four contests, the next of which arrives on Wednesday evening against the Harrisburg City Islanders.

With former members of the Red Bulls Academy playing key roles for the side, the Red Bulls II are now both a successful team in their own right, and also acting as an incubator as the club’s young talent looks to make an impact in MLS in the future.

“It’s important, because the academy becomes very important for the growth of MLS as a whole, and I think the Red Bulls have one of the best academies in the league,” said Kljestan. “I think Derrick Etienne is a great example, Tyler Adams as well, who are starting to play those meaningful games at a younger age, and by the time they’re 18, 19, 20, they’re able to step into the first team and make a big impact in MLS as well, which is the ultimate goal.”