HARRISON, N.J. – Last year it was the New York Red Bulls II’s Franklin Castellanos and Tyler Adams who turned heads in the Red Bulls’ international exhibition against the Premier League’s Chelsea FC.

This year, it was Red Bulls II midfielder Dan Metzger’s turn, as his long-range finish helped the Red Bulls take a 2-0 victory against Liga MX’s Club America on Wednesday night at Red Bull Arena.

Metzger was one of a number of Red Bulls II regulars who got the chance to appear in the exhibition. Brandon Allen provided the assist on Metzger’s 53rd-minute goal, while players such as Junior Flemmings, Stefano Bonomo, Konrad Plewa and Devon Williams also saw action in the contest.

Maybe the player who caught the eye most, however, was Derrick Etienne Jr. The young midfielder got the start alongside Adams, and impressed Red Bulls Coach Jesse Marsch as he stepped in alongside numerous first team regulars.

“Overall, I think Derrick's gotten better over the last six months,” Marsch said. “It's always hard for a young guy when he's putting so much into it and he has to earn his right every day and doesn't always get rewarded with playing time.

“We've tried to encourage him to keep the right mentality every day and that sometimes when you're young it's a grind. For him to step onto the field tonight and show some really special moments with some of the talents he has and to understand how he fits into the game, I thought it was really good.”

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Having suffered only one defeat, Etienne and the rest of the Red Bulls II sit second in the Eastern Conference midway through the club’s second season. With a number of the team’s players appearing to fit seamlessly into the Red Bulls’ lineup on Wednesday night, the success of the club’s top-to-bottom model was in clear evidence to Marsch.

“I think it's really started from Marc de Grandpre to Ali Curtis all the way down, that everyone truly cares about this, works together, and tries to build something that is uniform and complete and about unity and togetherness,” Marsch said. “So sometimes I get to use Marc de Grandpre's slogan, which is ‘One Team, One Voice,’ and certainly tonight we see the performance of different guys and it didn't matter what name was on the jersey, they played like we wanted them to play and it looked like us. So, really proud of our club tonight.”