New York Red Bulls II to play four 2017 preseason friendlies

New York Red Bulls II effectively finished off RBNY's preseason schedule, playing three Desert Diamond Cup matches in Arizona while the first team demonstrated how much it could have used the extra practice in CONCACAF Champions League.

But the II-team's season doesn't start until March 25. The defending USL regular-season and Cup champ has some time on its hands - and it has a roster to fill out, though there are new signings thought to be confirmed but not officially announced yet. So the RBNY reserves will keep on preseasoning for the next couple of weeks.

NYRB II has published a four-game preseason schedule, with all the friendlies to be played at the Red Bull Training Facility. The games will not be open to the public, and the first one - against FC Motown - might not see any details released at all. But expect to at least hear about the other three when they are played.

The II-team's opponents will be FC Motown, Harrisburg City Islanders, St. John's University, and Bethlehem Steel FC. The schedule is as follows:

March 4 - 11:00 am - FC Motown

March 8 - 12:00 pm - Harrisburg City Islanders

March 11 - 10:00 am - St. John's University

March 18 - 12:00 pm - Bethlehem Steel

Motown is a Morristown-based amateur side that has won through to the first round of this year's US Open Cup. Coached by former RBNY Homegrown player Sacir Hot, Motown has risen rapidly from a rec league to become one of the better local amateur teams, dominating the Garden State Soccer League in recent seasons. Last year, Hot told Once A Metro that he planned to apply some of RBNY's present tactical ideas to his squad's playing style, so NYRB II can expect to be challenged at its own game, perhaps.

St. John's is a local college side. Harrisburg City Islanders and Bethlehem Steel are teams NYRB II will see again when USL gets started. HCI currently has two former Red Bulls on its roster: 2015 II-teamer James Thomas, and RBNY 2015 SuperDraft pick Shawn McLaws. Bethlehem Steel is Philadelphia Union's reserve team, and features emerging Jamaica national-teamer Cory Burke.

NYRB II expects to publish a preseason roster before the team plays Harrisburg City Islanders on March 8.