With two wins in their first two games, the New York Red Bulls II squad has been off to a hot start this season and extended that tally to three wins by defeating Inter Miami II on penalties, with a final marker of 3-3 on March 24, at Montclair State University Soccer Park in their home opener.
Due to a new rule in Major League Soccer (MLS) NEXT Pro in 2024, shootouts featuring kicks from the penalty mark will decide matches that are tied after regulation.
Notable scorers in this game would be last year’s MLS Next Pro Best XI All-star Ibrahim Kasule who grabbed himself a brace and 16-year-old Julian Hall who scored the opening goal of the game.
Julian Hall after scoring his goal. Photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls
Montclair Native Roald Mitchell would be the one to take it home for the Red Bulls as he scored the winning penalty.
“Honestly, it was a really good feeling,” Mitchell said. “The fans were out, my family is here so I feel pretty comfortable, I feel back at home. It’s good to be here again.”
Mitchell spent the majority of his formative years in Montclair. Mitchell joined the youth academy at the New York Red Bulls in 2018. In March 2021, Mitchell was announced as part of the pre-season roster for the Red Bulls reserve side, New York Red Bulls II. In the fall of 2021, Mitchell moved to Wake Forest University to play three seasons of college soccer. There, Mitchell appeared in 56 matches and scored 19 goals.
Mitchell said that he has been adjusting well to professional soccer.
“Coming from college to MLS and MLS Next Pro has been somewhat difficult for me sometimes, but I think I’ve been able to adjust well.” Mitchell said. “I know a couple of guys who came here like once every summer, and I was able to connect with everyone and build connections with everyone. Coming back to play with everybody, it felt pretty comfortable, I got pretty much used to it in a couple of days, so I was cool with it.”
On his 16th birthday, Hall scored the opening goal for the Red Bulls II. After a turnover in the midfield, New York capitalized quickly as Mohammed Sofo dribbled into space and delivered a perfect curling ball to forward Julian Hall. Hall confidently finished the chance, giving Red Bulls II an early lead.
Last year, at 15 years old, Hall became the second-youngest player to debut in an MLS match when he appeared as an 81st-minute substitute against Chicago FC at the Red Bull Arena on September 30, 2023. Now at 16 years old, Hall said that he has proven that he is more than ready to take on the professional world.
“Since I joined the team, the people around me, people who have been playing professionally for a pretty long time, have helped me just improve in everything that a striker needs to be able to do in a game,” Hall said. “I’m looking forward to improving on mostly everything. I’m not really where I want to be yet, there’s a lot of things that I want more to come from myself, so I’m ready to keep it going.”
However, on the other side of the field was Inter Miami’s Leo Afonso, who capitalized in the 40th minute, when he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper and slotted it in the bottom right corner to make things level as the two clubs headed into the halftime break.
Red Bulls II, despite conceding a goal, came out firing in the second half. They had multiple chances and eventually scored in the 51st minute after Mitchell drew a penalty kick.
Stepping up to take the kick was midfielder Ibrahim Kasule, who has been the main penalty-taker for New York since his arrival last season. The Ugandan shot it straight down the middle of the net to give his side the lead once again. Kasule has yet to break his penalty record with the club converting all seven that he has taken throughout two seasons.
Kasule Ibrahim Jr scored two goals in the match. Photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls
Kasule would add to his tally 15 minutes later, when a shot from Hall was blocked by the goalie but blasted back into the net by Kasule to make it three for the Red Bulls.
Miami did not give up however as Alfonso grabbed his second of the night from a well-placed direct freekick scored in the 80th minute.
The visitors eventually equalized in the final moments when Daniel Pinter scored from a rebound, resulting in a shootout.
In the shootout, Ibrahim Kasule, Davi Alexandre, Malick Dembele, and Roald Mitchell would all convert from the spot. Alan Rutkowski made a heroic save in the final round of the shootout to allow Mitchell to clinch the match with his shot.
The New York Red Bulls II will return to MSU Soccer Park on Sunday, April 14, for their next MLS Next Pro home game against Chicago Fire II. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. ET.
