After struggling early in their first game at the U-20 level, the Red Bulls U-18 team was able to pull off a 3-2 victory over FC Westchester last Thursday at Giants Stadium.
Down 1-0 early and struggling to assert their style of play on the game, the Red Bulls provided a spark by inserting Jon Yazo and Matt Bouraee into the game nearly midway through the first half. The team began to push forward and hold possession with more efficiency, finally breaking through with the equalizer in the 25th minute when Johnny Exantus knocked home the rebound off a Matt Bouraee shot.
"The team came out very hesitant and did not play well early on. Perhaps it was the jump to U-20s," said head coach Paul O'Donnell. "However, when we began to put more pressure on FC, we gained more possession and our play improved dramatically."
In the second half, the Red Bulls U-18s came out firing on all cylinders. Jackson Sengbloh began dictating the flow of the game after he was switched to the central midfield, and the Red Bulls began applying quality pressure to the FC Westchester defense.
The Red Bulls finally took the lead in the 58th minute when Mark Wiltse dribbled past several defenders before chipping the goalkeeper from 30 yards out. Wiltse, who was inserted late in the first half, immediately stabilized and provided leadership to the back four while also giving the team another offensive threat.
In the 70th minute, the Red Bulls would extend the lead to 3-1 on a play that resulted from Sengbloh's solid playmaking. Sengbloh made a tremendous run through the midfield, then laid the ball off for Michel Okai, whose shot required a great save from the FC Westchester 'keeper. The ball rebounded to the back post where John Tardy easily finished, giving his team a critical two goal lead.
FC Westchester was able to capitalize off a corner kick late in the game to make the score 3-2, where it would stand until the final whistle.
"Again, the team has shown character in coming back from a poor start," said O'Donnell. "Jackson Sengbloh was outstanding in midfield as was Joao Fartura. Also, the play of Mark Wiltse out of the back gave us another attacking threat as was evidenced by his first-class chip from 30 yards."
Because they are competing in the U-20 Super-Y League, the roster used in this game was slightly different from the lineup used in most previous U-18 games. In addition to 13 true U-18 players, the roster also included five U-20s. The starting lineup included 10 U-18s and only one U-20, but some of the key substitutions were made by U-20 players.
Scoring Summary (Red Bulls):
Johnny Exantus (1) 25'
Mark Wiltse (1) 58'
John Tardy (1) 70'
Red Bulls Starting Lineup (4-4-2):
Conrad Rusnak, Chris Faustino, Andrew Cuevas, Anthony Vazquez, Jon Borrajo, David Reed, Lucas Swertloff, Joao Fartura, Jackson Sengbloh, John Tardy, Johnny Exantus
Subs: Nunzio Belfiore, Mark Wiltse, Sam Roca, Hugo Sanchez, Jon Yazo, Matt Bouraee, Michel Okai
