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Red Bulls II Romp Past Independence

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 06/09/18, 9:02PM EDT

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Three second-half goals lead New York to happy homecoming at MSU Soccer Park


Photo courtesy Ben Solomon / New York Red Bulls II

MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The New York Red Bulls II returned to their home at MSU Soccer Park with a victory as three goals in 14 minutes in the second half sent the side to a 4-2 victory against the Charlotte Independence on Saturday night. The game exploded into life midway through the first half as the Independence took the lead in the 23rd minute when Cordell Cato put home a cross by Sam Vines into the bottom-left corner. New York responded two minutes later, however, as Amando Moreno seized on a deflected cross and poked home a finish into the right corner. Red Bulls II goalkeeper Evan Louro made a big save to deny Jorge Herrera early in the second half, but then the hosts grabbed control of the game as first Cristian Casseres Jr. put home a penalty kick after the Independence’s Kevan George was ruled to have handled, and two minutes later Andrew Tinari gave the hosts a two-goal cushion as he put away a move he began in midfield after good work by Brian White and Jared Stroud set up a simple finish. New York added a fourth with 16 minutes to go when Lucas Stauffer volleyed home an errant clearance by the Independence defense, and while Herrera put home a penalty kick for Charlotte with four minutes to go there was no way back for the visitors as their four-game winning streak came to an end.

Scoring:
23’ – CLT – Cordell Cato (Sam Vines)
25’ – NY – Amando Moreno
60’ – NY – Cristian Casseres Jr. (penalty kick)
62’ – NY – Andrew Tinari (Jared Stroud)
74’ – NY – Lucas Stauffer
86’ – CLT – Jorge Herrera (penalty kick)

Three Things That Matter:

  • 1. The Red Bulls II quickly put aside the disappointment of last Sunday afternoon’s loss to FC Cincinnati, and further jumbled the race for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference in the process after another big home victory marked the return of the side to the newly upgraded MSU Soccer Park. New York is now one of four teams sitting on 20 points in the middle of the playoff positions as its potent attack once again came through with a stellar display against what had been recently a solid Independence back line.

  • 2. New York’s energy throughout contests has made it one of the most dangerous second-half teams in the league for the past three seasons, and that once again was the story on Saturday night as the club notched three more goals to drive itself to victory. The Red Bulls II now lead the USL with 19 goals in the second halves of games this season, one more than Western Conference playoff contender Phoenix Rising FC, as their pressing style continues to wear down opponents.

  • 3. The Independence grabbed the lead on the road as they aimed for a fifth consecutive victory, but now have been drawn into the middle of the scrap for the postseason as they suffered their worst defensive outing of the season. With a midweek visit to ATL UTD 2 on the docket there’s a big chance for Charlotte to bounce back on Wednesday night, and a busy week that will also see the side host regional rival the Charleston Battery next Saturday night might be a good thing as the side looks to quickly forget this performance.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Andrew Tinari, New York Red Bulls II – Tinari both began and ended the Red Bulls II’s finest goal of the evening, and recorded six key passes to help the club’s attack continue to drive forward in a big home victory.

Upcoming Games:

New York Red Bulls II at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – June 16, 7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium

Charlotte Independence at ATL UTD 2 – June 13, 7 p.m. ET, Coolray Field

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