New York Red Bulls II suffered a difficult start to the return of USL play this past weekend, suffering a 1-0 loss to Hartford Athletic Saturday at an empty Red Bull Arena.
With the entirety of the first team sitting somewhere in the sprawling Disney complex in Orlando, John Wolyniec had to scrape together a lineup that predominantly featured debutants and academy products. Three new players graced the starting XI and all were featured in prominent positions on the field. Barry Sharifi, an MLS SuperDraft pick from Loyola Maryland, made his debut in the defensive midfield opposite Kyle Zajec.