This year's group of young Red Bulls has made its mark. But standing out above the rest is this year's Red Bulls U-16 squad. Beginning Friday, they will begin their quest for a championship.
They will open up play Friday in the Super Y-League North American Finals of the United Soccer League. The Red Bulls qualified for the Finals on the strength of a strong regular-season, finishing with a record of 9-3-0 in 12 games.
The team was one of 16 teams to qualify for the U-16 Super Y-League Finals. The finals are broken down into four groups, with four teams placed in each group. The winner of each respective group advances to the semifinals. The winners move onto the championship game. The other teams in Group A with the Red Bulls are Canada's Ottawa Fury, Kentucky's United 1996 and South Florida's Schulz Academy.
"This is the third year in a row that this group has advanced to the Super Y-League Finals," said head coach Stan Lembryk. "It was the third year in a row we have won the conference, which is the qualifier to get to Nationals. The first year, we made it to semis and lost to the Chicago Magic, who won the championship. Last year, we lost in group play to Miami West Kendall, who also lost in the finals. Hopefully the third time is a charm."
"We have been so successful because the group has been together now for three years," said Lembryk. "It's a good core and although we have had some changes, it's a strong group, and they are very determined. They have had the experience of going to the MLS Academy Tournament and Mundalito in Spain. That group includes Dragan Naumoski who is our captain, Joey Spivack, Eric Jorgensen, Sacir Hot, Kevin Finnegan, Giorgi Chirgadze, Hennie Bosman and Franco Gomero."
Lembryk spoke highly of the group as a whole, which includes both returning players and the new additions.
"The best thing about this group has been their growth, and the way they are growing up and maturing, and understanding and trying to get better each day. To see the progress means a lot to me. The individual and team progress has been unbelievable, especially to see our kids playing teams like Partizan Belgrade and Juventus [last summer] and getting solid results against them as well."
The importance of competing in the Finals is highlighted by the Red Bulls' Oscar Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a freshman at Clifton High School, will compete in the New Jersey State High School Finals Friday and fly down Saturday morning to join his Red Bulls teammates in their quest for the championship. Based on the last two years, it wouldn't be surprising if the third time is the charm.
