5:1 New York Swope Park Etienne Allen 3 Bezecourt Granitto 10.23.16 · Playoff

Behind them was a long, record-breaking regular season, back-to-back comeback penalty victories, and a terrific first half. RBNY II was holding on to a 2:0 lead. We've heard this one before, no?

On the day that the senior team finally held a two-goal lead, be it in an irrelevant game, the juniors did one better. RBNY II did allow Swope Park to crawl within one, but then romped to a fantastic 5:1 victory, claiming the USL crown for a team that did not exist two years ago.

The first half goals came from Derrick Etienne, on a blistering corner from outside the box, and Brandon Allen, who redirected a pass from David Najem. At that point, RBNY II dominated every area of the game.

After the break, Swope Park started to play better. In the 73rd, a free kick bounced through a scramble in the penalty area and into the net. Could a patented blown two-goal lead be in the cards?

No. Second-half sub Stefano Bonomo was crucial in setting up Allen twice, in the 85th and 88th, and Vincent Bezecourt punctuated the romp in injury time. 5:1 was the final score. RBNY II were USL Champions.

It ended an amazing run for a team that lost just three times all year, a team that routinely destroyed its opposition, a team that ended the year with a 14-game unbeaten streak. A team coached by John Wolyniec, a team made up of released draft picks (Bonomo, Zach Carroll), academy graduates (Etienne, Allen, Tyler Adams), undrafted rookies (Bezecourt, Fabian Valot), journeymen (Aaron Long, Najem), once-promising MLSers (Ryan Meara)... oh, and current academy players (Kevin O'Toole)!

Will these names become Metro heroes of future years, or will this victory mark the peak of their career? Who knows. Tonight, they are champions.

Congrats, Metro Juniors!