Inside the 18: Najem, Knapp, to Make First Starts of Season
May 28, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
New York Red Bulls II News Release
New York Red Bulls II will host Birmingham Legion FC on Friday, May 27, at MSU Soccer Park.
AJ Marcucci will get the start in net for New York. The goalkeeper has tallied 24 saves and a clean sheet over seven starts this season.
Curtis Ofori, Juan Castillo, Daniel De Leon, and O'Vonte Mullings will make up the backline. The 16-year-old Ofori will make his fourth consecutive start and seventh of 2022.
In the defensive midfield, Michael Knapp will start his first match of the campaign after appearing five times as a substitute. He will be alongside Steven Sserwadda, who will depart for the Ugandan National Team following the match.
After making his New York debut in the club's last match, Adam Najem will get the start alongside Jeremy Rafanello as attacking midfielders.
The striker duo consists of Zach Ryan and Jordan Adebayo-Smith.
Derrek Chan will serve as the backup goalkeeper for Red Bulls II. The rest of the bench for Gary Lewis consists of Lamine Conte, Jack Casey, Sam Williams, Jonathan Filipe, and Illia Tyrkus.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN+.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 28, 2022
- RGV Drop Home Derby Match - Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Saydee Scores Early and Rising Responds in Double, Hartford Loses 1-2 - Hartford Athletic
- Stefano Pinho's Fifth Goal of Season Not Enough to Continue Home Winning Streak - Indy Eleven
- Lancaster Reasserts Himself in LouCity's Rallying Win over FC Tulsa - Louisville City FC
- Louisville City FC Uses Big Second Half to Down FC Tulsa - FC Tulsa
- Notes and Quotes: "The Confidence Is up and the Belief Is Up." - Sacramento Republic FC
- Rakovsky Earns Clean Sheet as OCSC Play to a Scoreless Draw in Atlanta - Orange County SC
- Oakland Roots Host NorCal Rival Sacramento Republic - Oakland Roots
- Inside the 18: Najem, Knapp, to Make First Starts of Season - New York Red Bulls II
- El Paso Locomotive Shut Down Las Vegas Lights FC in 1-0 Victory - El Paso Locomotive FC
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.
Other Recent New York Red Bulls II Stories
- New York Red Bulls Add NYRB II Midfielder Rafael Mosquera to Short-Term Agreement Ahead of Match against Chicago Fire
- New York Red Bulls II Acquire Midfielder Nate Worth on Loan from Tampa Bay Rowdies
- New York Red Bulls II Appoint Former U.S. Men's National Team Midfielder Michael Bradley as Head Coach
- New York Red Bulls Announce Promotion of NYRB II Head Coach Ibrahim Sekagya to Full-Time First Team Assistant Coach
- New York Red Bulls II Travel to Belson Stadium to Face Hudson River Derby Rivals NYCFC II on May 9
