The New York Red Bulls walked away frustrated from Sunday night's 2-2 road draw with the LA Galaxy, thanks to the late equalizer conceded to LA's Ashley Cole. But one of their reserve teamers and his loved ones will not soon forget the powerful statement of support RBNY made before kickoff at StubHub Center.
New York wore special warm-up shirts declaring “Two Teams/One Voice” with the name and number of Red Bulls II player Konrad Plewa on the back. After the match, head coach Jesse Marsch explained the backstory.
“A player on our USL team, named Konrad Plewa, he had a stroke after coming back from Richmond [after RBNY II's 2-1 road loss to the Kickers on July 30],” said Marsch. “They took a bus, got back at like five in the morning. At 11:00 on Sunday morning, he started losing feeling in his arm and part of his face, and so he had to be rushed to the hospital.
“They found that he had a stroke, they went in and cleared the blockage, and it seems like he’s recovering in a really good way. It was awesome that the guys were wearing that shirt.”
A Polish-born product of the Red Bulls youth academy and Seton Hall University, Plewa is a 24-year-old defender in his second season with RBNY II. He also appeared for the senior team in last year's 4-2 international friendly defeat of Chelsea FC.
“We know we have a great roster. We know we have commitment from many players, and quality from many players,” said Marsch. “This club is great, and there’s great talent in the academy, and there’s great young players here, there’s great leaders within the club, it’s a great place to be. I have nothing but pride for everything that these guys put into it, and who we are and who we represent.”
