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New York Red Bulls II (3-4-3) take on the Richmond Kickers (4-2-4) in a mini-Atlantic Cup match. Richmond are the affiliate of MLS club and Red Bulls' rival D.C. United. The Baby Bulls won their last match, 3-2, against FC Montreal. Anatole Abang and Derrick Etienne scored, and Montreal put in an own goal.
This will be the first match of a six-match road trip that lasts until July.
The Kickers are led by Brian Ownby (3 goals, 4 assists), Matthew Delicate (5 goals), and George Davis IV (3 goals). They've used four keepers this year: Andrew Romig, Ryan Taylor, Trevor Spangenberg, and Travis Worra. The Kickers have given up 11 goals in 10 matches. They're coming off a 3-0 win over the Jacksonville Armada of the NASL in the U.S. Open Cup. The Kickers win over Jacksonville earned them a home match against the Columbus Crew in the next round of the Open Cup on June 17th.
For Richmond, they just want to end the month of May on a high note. Despite two wins in the US Open Cup, the team is 0-2-2 in USL play. Their last match was a 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The last meeting between the Kickers and NYRB II came on Apr. 22, with Richmond taking all three points on the road with a 1-0 win.
As usual, the Starting XI for the Red Bulls is going to be a mystery because the MLS squad plays the Seattle Sounders in Seattle on Sunday (at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN2). It's safe to assume that there will be a mix of USL contract and Academy players in the squad with a few MLS players like Shawn McLaws, Manolo Sanchez, and Santiago Castano in the squad. The Red Bulls current injury mini-crisis at center back means that Karl Ouimette and possibly Andrew Jean-Baptiste will be in Seattle. Also, current scoring leader for NYRB II Anatole Abang, remains the backup striker for the MLS squad, and should make the 18 in Seattle.
Outside of the MLS players, the Baby Bulls have struggled to score goals, with Academy player Etienne being the only non-MLS player to score a goal. This match, with a majority of the core NYRB II squad in Seattle, is a chance for attackers Chris Tsonis, Victor Manosalvas, and Franklin Castellanos to get themselves on the scoresheet.
Tyler Adams has been called up the United States U-17 team for the Suwon Continental Cup in June, and his participation depends on when camp officially begins.