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NYRB II exists.
We know this. The Red Bulls have told us this. They are one of eight MSL reserve sides that will compete in the 2015 United Soccer League season.
That's where it ends. NYRB II does not have a website, a coach, or players (the NYRB II link on USL's website redirects to New York Red Bulls' site, and we here at Once A Metro would have hopefully reported if NYRB II signed players...)
NYRB II does have a wikipedia page, and according to said wikipedia page, it has a Sporting Director (hint it's Ali Curtis)!
How does this stack up against the rest of the MLS reserve USL sides, though? For this, we need a chart.
Here is a chart. It looks at whether or not all of the reserve teams have five basic things to run a team: players, a coach, a dedicated website (wikipedia does not count, all of them have wikipedia pages), tryouts to attract new talent, and a stadium to play in. An "x" marks that each team does in fact have what is in each column, and an "o" marks that the team does not.
Team | Players | Coach | Website | Tryouts | Stadium |
New York Red Bulls II | o | o | o | x | x |
LA Galaxy II | x | x | x | x | x |
FC Montreal | o | o | o | o | x |
Portland Timbers 2 | x (6) | x | x | x | x |
Real Monarchs | o | x | x | x | x |
Seattle Sounders FC 2 | x | x | x | x | x |
Toronto FC II | o | x | x | o | x |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | x (3) | x | x | x | x |
Based on the above chart, NYRB II is not the worst established USL team so far. That honor belongs to FC Montreal.
Three other USL squads do not have rosters, and two on top of that have partial rosters. Only LA Galaxy II (an existing team) technically has an established "roster," but given that Seattle Sounders FC 2 is having its own preseason I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
Every other team besides FC Montreal had a coach. I could speculate for days on who the coach waiting in the wings for NYRB II is, but I'll leave that up to the readers to speculate and for those who know the situation to keep in their back pockets.
NYRB II has a twitter, but no website. Go to squarespace, guys. It's not hard.
As for the stadium, its clear that NYRB II is moving somewhere else halfway through the year. This once again is probably known to the team but not the general public. So since the opener is being played at Red Bull Arena, I gave NYRB II an "x" for stadium.
Besides that, I would not be surprised if NYRB II has players queued up on verbal agreements, and is waiting for the CBA negotiations to finish, or for a large group announcement in typical Red Bulls fashion.
The individual tryouts for NYRB II will take place on Feb. 28. Considering some actual roster spots could come from those tryouts, I would expect an announcement on the whole roster in about a week or so.
Overall, NYRB II is not that far behind given how other USL teams are set up. It is frustrating to not get any information about the USL squad, but I am sure this is in Ali's 300-page plan, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.