By Tiffany Williams –
MONTCLAIR, N.J. — Red Bulls II are heading to the big one. On a cold Saturday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium, New York’s young guns clawed back from a goal down to beat Philadelphia Union II 2-1, capturing the club’s first-ever MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs Eastern Conference title and booking a spot in the MLS NEXT Pro Cup Final.
Philly drew first blood in the 38th minute when Edward Davis whipped a pass across the six-yard box to Stas Korzeniowski, who hammered home a right-footed shot into the top left corner. The goal was Korzeniowski’s fourth of the playoffs and looked like it might sink the Red Bulls’ momentum.
But New York refused to fold. In the 71st minute, midfielder Adri Mehmeti slipped a perfect ball down the flank to defender Matthew Dos Santos, who drilled a one-time cross into the box. Roald Mitchell brought it down, turned, and buried the equalizer with authority.
Then came the knockout punch. Twelve minutes later, Mehmeti — in the middle of a breakout postseason — floated a sublime through ball that sliced open Philly’s back line. Mitchell needed only one touch before curling a shot into the top right corner to make it 2-1. The Montclair native’s second of the night sealed it, sending the local crowd into a frenzy.
Mitchell now has four goals in the playoffs — tied with Korzeniowski for the most in the tournament — and five total goal contributions, the highest of any player in the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. The brace marked his first career postseason double and his third across all competitions this season. His 18th and 19th career goals also pushed him past Vincent Bezecourt into sixth place on the club’s all-time scoring list.
Mehmeti, meanwhile, finished with two assists — his first career multi-assist match — giving him three helpers in the playoffs and four in his last three games. Dos Santos notched his second postseason assist, breaking the franchise record for most playoff assists by a defender, moving past Junior Flemmings.
In goal, Austin Causey came up big when needed, making two saves to bring his postseason total to eight, good for second-most among MLS NEXT Pro goalkeepers.
For head coach Michael Bradley, it’s been a perfect postseason start. The former U.S. international has now won his first three playoff matches as a head coach — a first in Red Bulls II history — and has his team playing their most ruthless soccer of the year.
The win gives New York its first MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference title and second conference crown in club history, the first since the 2016 squad lifted the USL Eastern Conference trophy.
Next up: the MLS NEXT Pro Cup Final at home in Montclair, where Red Bulls II will face the Western Conference champion. The date and opponent are still to be announced, but one thing’s clear — this Red Bulls II team isn’t done yet.