Breaking down NYRB II's Preseason Roster

New York Red Bulls II begin their second season of USL play on March 26th against Toronto FC II at Red Bull Arena. Last Friday, the team released their preseason roster, featuring an abundance of midfielders as well as young, local talent.

NYRB II enters the season on the back of a successful first campaign which saw New York bow out in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual champions, Rochester Rhinos. As the Red Bulls' USL team looks to build upon their successful first campaign, the team enters camp with only 7 players under contract, with the likes of Tyler Adams and Derrick Etienne from last year's team having earned first team contracts, while many other players having moved on. As such the team has brought in 12 trialists and 2 academy players to the team's preseason to help fill out the roster.

Goalkeeper:

Steward Ceus (28)

Ceus is a New York native and is also a full international with Haiti, having earned 6 caps for the country of his parents. In 2009, Ceus was drafted to the Colorado Rapids out of the University of Albany. Here he played 4 games over 5 years, while also going on loan to the Charlotte Eagles twice. After Colorado, Ceus joined Närnes Kruft in the Finish Second Division before returning to the States last year to play with the Atlanta Silverbacks. Here's a Burgundy Wave piece highlighting, "The Frustration That Is Steward Ceus".

Defenders:

Mason Deeds (17)

A longtime academy player, Deeds is one of the brightest, if not the brightest, player currently in NY's academy system. A US youth international, the centerback has already played for NYRBII as an academy call-up and has had multiple training stints in Leipzig and Salzburg with New York's European cousins. At the moment Deeds is committed to go to Georgetown in the fall, however, things can always change, just as Matt Miazga was once committed to Michigan before joining the Red Bulls.

Aaron Etienne

Though "guest player" not a trialist, Aaron Etienne, cousin of Derrick, played in NRYB II's second scrimmage of the year at fullback. Etienne featured as midfielder for James Madison in 2011, where he played 7 games. However since then he has been relatively off the map with his time in between including a Haiti U23 call-up as well as a tryout for Unión Deportiva Marbella in Spain.

Aaron Etienne is listed as a guest player for today's friendly.#NYvBSFC#NYRBII

— NYRB II (@NYRBII) March 11, 2016

Cheikh M'Baye (19)

M'baye first joined the New York Red Bulls' First Team in preseason camp as a trialist. Before that, M'baye was playing for Girondins Bordeaux II in France, where he featured only occasionally. A centerback for Cameroonian's U20 NT, M'baye did not make the cut for last year's U20 World Cup, where his countrymen finished 4^th.

Noah Powder (17)

The young academy fullback is held in very high regard by the club's coaching staff, having participated in preseason with the first team and trained with them multiple times last year. Powder has represented the US and Trinidad and Tobago at the youth international level and currently serves as the captain for Trinidad and Tobago's U17 NT. With no college commitment at the moment, it is looking increasingly likely that Powder will sign with NYRBII.

Midfielders:

Vincent Bezecourt (22)

The Frenchman was in camp with the first team's preseason camp earlier and impressed many with his skill on the ball. Bezecourt spent two years at St. Francis Brooklyn, clocking in 10 goals and 9 assists in 38 games. The small, tricky midfielder performed well enough to earn 3^rd team All-American in his senior year with his small DI program.

Walter Calderon (19)

A former New York Red Bulls U18 team member, the academy product didn't play college ball this last year after graduating from high school. Calderon played sparingly for the very talented U18 team in 2014-15, which featured future Red Bull Derrick Etienne, appearing 7 times, with 3 starts and 1 goal.

Fernando Cortez (18)

A local kid, from Farmingdale, NY, Cortez played club soccer alongside Max Heffron, brother of former NYRBII player Collin Heffron, and RBNY Academy player Stephan Elias up until last year with Smithtown Kicks SC Arsenal. This year, Cortez had 9 goals and 7 assists for Suffolk County College in DIII play last year. The freshman's play earned him 2^nd team all-region.

Jeremiah Debrowski (20)

A defensive midfielder by trade, Debrowski has played professionally for clubs in Germany, France, Serbia, and Poland. Born in Berlin to a French-American mother and a Polish father, Debrowski has featured for Poland's U16/17 teams and recently played for Znicz Pruszkow in the Polish Second Division and FK Mladost Lucavi in the Serbian First Division.

Pat McCann (25)

McCann played 4 of college soccer years at Holy Cross, and was a two-year captain before leaving to play professionally in Ireland. At Holy Cross he played 64 games, scored 4 times, and assisted 9 times from right midfield. In 2013, McCann joined Finn Harps of the League of Ireland, here he played 35 times and scored 6 goals over two year. In 2015 McCann left Ireland for a short-term contract with Brenes Balompié in Spain, with the intention of returning to Finn Harps at the end of it. However, that never came to pass and McCann has been out of contract since then.

Kevin Olaya (21)

Olaya is a junior at Kean University in Union, NJ. A winger by trade, Olaya has collected 12 goals and 9 assists over 57 games. From Elizabeth, NJ, Olaya was top 6 in Sueño MLS in 2011 and was named First Team ECAC in 2015.

Aidan Tucker (21)

Born and raised in New York, Tucker attended Real Salt Lake's residency program in Arizona as a teenager. After his time at RSL, Tucker committed to Boston University, but chose to go abroad instead to play professionally, joining SV Seligenporten's second team in Germany. The midfielder/forward left the club late in 2015 and now finds himself back home on the east coast.

Florian Valot (23)

Valot was in New York's college combine this winter before appearing on NYRBII's trialists list. The Frenchman spent many years at PSG's youth academy before joining FC Monaco's second team in 2011, where he spent 3 years. Valot came to the US in 2013, and spent 2 years at Rider College. Over those two years Valot played 34 times, scored 13 goals, assisted 6 times, and collected the 2014 MAAC Rookie of the Year Award as well as two 1^st Team All MAAC nominations.

Forwards:

Junior Flemmings (20)

Junior Flemmings is a young, dynamic Jamaican forward, seen as one the best players of this new generation of Jamaican talent. He has previously played for Tivoli Gardens in the Jamaican Red Stripe Premier League and has long been linked to the New York Red Bulls. Flemmings is reported to have already signed a contract with the club.

Kyle McCord (23)

A one time New York Red Bulls academy player, McCord spent 4 years at the University of Virginia, where be played mainly as a winger. After graduating in 2015, having scored 3 times and assisted once in a 37 game college career, McCord joined the Harrisburg City Islanders in USL. McCord featured sparingly for the Islanders last year, playing only 4 times.