In 2016, New York Red Bulls II won the USL regular season title and USL Cup. In 2017, things are not going quite so well. After 17 games, the team has already lost more games (eight, compared to three in 2016) and conceded more goals (32, compared to 21 last year) than it did over 30 regular-season matches in 2016.
These things happen, particularly for teams structured the way the II team is set up: it is a development squad, obligated to let its best players advance their careers. After a spectacular 2016, NYRB II sent USL Defender of the Year Aaron Long up to the Red Bulls first team, where he has quickly established himself as an ever-present on the back line.