MLS Next Pro football returns to Philadelphia and Subaru Park this Sunday afternoon as Ryan Richter’s Union II side welcomes rivals Red Bull New York II in their second clash of this season after the visiting side ended Union II’s season last season in the playoffs.
Union forward Stas Korzeniowski scored a brace in another game with the second team.
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union II
Union II is coming off a great away trip to CT United, as they came away from the game with all three points thanks to a 2-1 scoreline. CT United have struggled in their first season as a club in the MLS Next Pro, and Union II poured on more misery as they came back from 1-0, after Caua Paixao scored early on, but Union II fought back into the game, and Eddy Davis III got the equalizer just before halftime.
Stas Korzeniowski, who had gone close to scoring multiple times throughout the game, including hitting the post a few minutes after the halftime break, finally found the back of the net just after 60 minutes had passed, finishing off a great Mamoutou Berthe assist.
Union II has always been a leading team and academy in the MLS Next and MLS Next Pro formats, and this season is no different. Coach Richter has handed out 11 MLS Next Pro debuts so far this season, and eight of those 11 have been to Union Academy players. It’s going to be a really fun season, seeing so many Academy players have breakout years, and who the next players will be coming into the side.
Union II goalkeeper George Marks made big saves and scored the winning PK over Red Bulls II
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union II
Red Bull New York II head into the game on the back of a convincing home win against Columbus Crew 2. RBNY took the lead 19 minutes into the game and never looked back as they steamrolled the visitors with 3 first half goals. The game ended in a 4-1 scoreline for RBNY, and they now head to Philly looking to stay above Ryan Richter’s side in the league table.
This game on Sunday afternoon will be the 2nd meeting between these two sides, who faced off back in late March in New York. The game ended 1-1 with Union II taking the extra point via a 4-3 extra point shootout win. If Ryan Richter’s men win this game on Sunday, they will have the same number of points as their rivals in tied 2nd place.
The game is scheduled for a 3 pm ET kickoff at Subaru Park, and tickets are still available online. If you can’t make it down to the ground, you can still watch the game live, as it will be streamed for free worldwide on both the MLS Next Pro website and the OneFootball platform.
Philadelphia Union II scored four in a 4-1 win over Carolina Core FC.
Image Provided / Philadelphia Union II
