Esmir Bajraktarević Tallies Late Game-Winner to Secure Revolution II's Second Win of the Season
April 2, 2023 - MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
New England Revolution II News Release
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Revolution II (2-0-0, 6 pts.) earned a 2-1 victory against New York City FC II (0-0-0, 0 pts.) on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. Jordan Adebayo-Smith tallied his first goal of the season while Homegrown midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević scored the game-winner in the 89th minute to secure Revolution II's second straight win to open the 2023 season.
New England found the scoresheet in the 24th minute as Marcos Dias crossed the ball in to Adebayo-Smith, who scored with a right-footed shot into the center of the goal for his first tally of the season. New York City tied things up to close out the first half as John Denis scored on a free kick in the 43rd minute.
The score stayed even throughout the second half as both sides exchanged chances until the 89th minute, when Malcolm Fry sent the ball forward to Bajraktarević who slotted the ball home with a left-footed shot to seal the late game-winner for New England.
New England returns to action on Monday, April 10 to host Philadelphia Union II at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the match streaming live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
New England Revolution II 2, NYCFC II 1
April 2, 2023 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith tallied his first goal of the season with forward Marcos Dias earning his first assist of the season on the play.
Homegrown midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević notched the 89th minute game-winner after entering the match in the 50th minute.
Forward Malcolm Fry picked up his first assist of the season on Bajraktarevic's tally.
Midfielder Jake Rozhansky logged 87 minutes in his 45th start with Revolution II.
Goalkeeper Nico Campuzano made five saves enroute to his second career victory.
15-year-old Academy defender Peyton Miller played the full 90 for his second consecutive match with New England's second team.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Sergii Boiko
Assistant Referees: Jessica Carnevale, Patrick Casey
Fourth Official: Christian Centeno
Weather: 39 and cloudy
Scoring Summary:
NE - Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Marcos Dias) 24'
NYC - John Denis 43'
NE - Esmir Bajraktarević (Malcolm Fry) 89'
Misconduct Summary:
NYC - Nicholas Benalcazar 40'
NYC - Piero Elias 45'
NE - Jake Rozhansky 45'
NE - Peyton Miller 79'
NE - Damian Rivera 84'
New England Revolution II: Nico Campuzano; Peyton Miller, Pierre Cayet, Tiago Suarez, Victor Souza; Noble Okello (Esmir Bajraktarević 50'), Jake Rozhansky (Ben Awashie 87'), Joshua Bolma; Damian Rivera, Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Weverton 71'), Marcos Dias (Malcolm Fry 71').
Substitutes Not Used: Max Weinstein, Colby Quinones, Jacob Akanyirige, Nakye Greenidge-Duncan.
New York City FC II: Alex Rando; Stevo Bednarsky (Ronald Arevalo 92'), Samuel Owusu, Klevis Haxhari, Rio Hope-Gund; Piero Elias (Franceso Di Ponzio 78'), Nicholas Benalcazar, Jack Beer; John Denis, Matthew Meyrs, Jonathan Jimenez.
Substitutes Not Used: Kofi Hope-Gund, Oliver Stafford, Massimo Murania Yankowitz, Mateo Ponce-Ocampo, Brian Flores, Tyler Morck.
New York City FC II Team Statistics New England Revolution II
19 (6) Shots (on Target) 9 (4)
8 Blocked Shots 2
2 Saves 4
7 Corner Kicks 5
3 Offsides 2
13 Fouls 13
559 (83%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 384 (79.4%)
59.1% Possession 40.9%
POSTGAME QUOTES: New England Revolution II 2 vs. NYCFC II 1
Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay
On tonight's performance:
Peay: "I think it was a gutsy performance, and the fact that New York's a good team, I think they put us under a lot of pressure. And the guys were resilient, which is good to see, kind of bent, but didn't break completely. And we were able to be opportunistic in the counter, and I thought we had a good response to the first half and had a better second half."
On getting off on the right foot to start the season:
Peay: "I think it's a good feeling about, just things going your way, even if the ball bounces a little funny, it goes your way. But yeah, I think it always makes the players have a little bit more belief in what you're doing when you start off well, and it just raises their confidence, so we hope to continue that next week."
On Jordan Adebayo-Smith's goal, and how he fits into the team:
Peay: "He's [Jordan Adebayo-Smith] been scoring all preseason for us, so we certainly hope that doesn't dry up, and obviously tonight he got his first one in league play. He's a threat. He's got pace, he's good in the box, he's quick to get on the end of things, and I think for our group, he's been a great addition."
On Joshua Bolma's performance in his first pro start:
Peay: "He's [Joshua Bolma] special in the fact that he does things that you can't coach. Turning when you think he should play it simple, and covers a lot of ground, both offensively and defensively. And so, I think he's a guy that can continue to grow in big strides as a player in this organization."
Revolution II Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith
On tonight's performance:
Adebayo-Smith: "Yeah, we looked at New York, we knew they were going to play out a lot, so we just understood that we need to be patient with our press, and when we get the ball we need to slow them down because they like to come up fast. So, for that first half, we did that a lot, second half was more. They had more opportunities, but I felt like we were more resilient, and we tried to stop them, hit the post a few times, but we did our best to stop them from scoring."
On getting off on the right foot to start the season:
Adebayo-Smith: "I just feel it builds confidence. We're a young group as well, so just winning a lot. Just having that winning mentality is a good feeling, and it just helps us bond more. And if we're winning together, we play well. It just gives us the confidence that we know we can beat anyone in the league."
On scoring his first goal for the team:
Adebayo-Smith: "The first goal is always a great feeling, just to get the relief of knowing that the goals are coming, and just boosting the confidence, knowing that you're going to score more goals this year. Yeah, just a good feeling."
On how the opportunity to score developed:
Adebayo-Smith: "Obviously my attributes are my pace, so I made a run, obviously. I didn't know that Marcos [Dias] was behind me. So as soon as I saw him, I just ran to the back post, and he does the hard work and just puts on a play for me, so thanks to Marcos."
Homegrown Midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević
On the message from Head Coach Clint Peay as he entered the match:
Bajraktarević: "He [Clint Peay] wanted a boost in level, not a drop.So, even though I'm coming down from the first team, to not drop the level. I've been playing at a first team level, so to show that I can boost the level and change the game."
On his performance:
Bajraktarević: "I think I had a decent performance. Obviously, it's tough when you're not training with the team, and you don't know what the tactics are or anything, but I feel like as long as you work hard, you'll get your reward."
On his goal:
Bajraktarević: "I was warming up with my guy Malcolm Fry, and we had a celebration ready and everything, so I told him if we get it out wide on the right side, let's cook them. And he passed to me, and I scored."
On goal celebration with Malcolm Fry:
Bajraktarević: "We just shook our hands and then just put our heads down, so it's strictly business."
On his family being at the game:
Bajraktarević: "My mom, my dad, my older brother, my cousin, and then my best friend, who was basically like a brother to me, and his mom. I promised them I had to do something. I don't get to see them too often, maybe like once or twice a year, so it's definitely a special moment."
MLS NEXT Pro Stories from April 2, 2023
- Colorado Rapids 2 Wins Over Houston Dynamo 2 - Colorado Rapids 2
- Esmir Bajraktarević Tallies Late Game-Winner to Secure Revolution II's Second Win of the Season - New England Revolution II
- Houston Dynamo 2 Fall at Home to Colorado Rapids 2 - Houston Dynamo 2
- NYCFC II Falls to New England Revolution II, 2-1 - New York City FC II
- Atlanta United 2 Earns First Point of Season Against New York Red Bulls II - Atlanta United 2
- New York Red Bulls II Grab Two Points in Atlanta After a 1-1 Draw and a 5-4 Shootout Win - New York Red Bulls II
- SKC II Claims Extra Point in Shootout Win over Austin FC II - Sporting Kansas City II
- Inter Miami CF II Earns Late Win over Philadelphia Union II - Inter Miami CF II
- Philadelphia Union II Edged by Inter Miami CF II, 2-1 - Philadelphia Union II
- Chicago Fire Weekly Update: Fire Continues Homestand, Brady's Historic Clean Sheet, Kacper's 100th Start & Fire II Update - Chicago Fire FC II
- Match Preview: NYRB II Travel to Face Old Foe Atlanta United 2 - New York Red Bulls II
- Generation Adidas Cup Begins for RSL Academy - Real Monarchs
- Tacoma Defiance Hosts Real Monarchs Tonight in Home Opener - Tacoma Defiance
- Know Before You Go: Rock Chalk Park 2023 - Sporting Kansas City II
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
