NYCFC Takes First Hudson River Derby Of Season

 

The scene after the final whistle. Photo by Jason Schott.

New York City Football Club was victorious in the first Hudson River Derby of the season, as they shutout the Red Bulls, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 30,804 at Citi Field.

This was a small measure of revenge for NYCFC, as they lost in the MLS Eastern Conference semifinals to the Red Bulls at Citi Field last November.

NYCFC moved up to sixth place in the East with the win, as they improved to 6-4-5, with 21 points, while the Red Bulls fell to 5-3-6, with 18 points, and they dipped to 10th.

Much as the Red Bulls did to NYCFC last November, it was NYCFC who got on the board early, in stunning fashion.

In the 13th minute, NYCFC stole the ball from Red Bulls captain Emil Fordberg, and a couple passes later, Alonso Martinez buried one from a center spot just above the box to move it 1-0.

NYCFC races to their fans in the corner after the opening goal. Photo by Jason Schott.

This was Martinez's seventh goal of the season, and the third in his career against the Red Bulls. 

Justin Haak recorded an assist on the goal, and it was his first of the season and first against the Red Bulls. 

Another view of the frenzy. Photo by Jason Schott.

At that point, NYCFC did what they did best, taking control of the play and never allowed the Red Bulls to take a single shot in the first half. It is the fifth time NYCFC has done that to an opponent this season, along with D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, Orlando City SC, and Los Angeles FC.

Early on in the second frame, NYCFC pounced on some sloppy Red Bulls play.

In the 50th minute, the Red Bulls were in control in their own end, looking to advance. Felipe Carballo decided to pass it back to goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who when it is passed pack by a teammate, cannot field it with his hands.

Coronel took the pass, seemed to corral it, but he had nothing on his pass to the right. 

Martinez swooped in to grab it, went to his right, leaving Coronel in his wake, and he dropped it off to Maxi Moralez, who was coming down the center, an he got it by a pair of Red Bulls defenders to make it 2-0 NYCFC.

Maxi Moralez leads the celebration with the fans in the left field stands. Photo by Jason Schott.

It was Moralez's first goal of the MLS regular season, and he became the oldest player to score in the League this season, at 38 years and 79 days. He is also the second NYCFC to player to score a goal at age 38 or older, along with Frank Lampard.

It was Martinez's first assist on the MLS season. NYCFC Head Coach Pascal Jansen spoke of how he took advantage of Red Bulls' miscues on both goals, "Well, if you look at today's game, I think he was in a lot of those situations described. One of our principles is forcing mistakes on opponents by the intensity that we play - in possession and out of possession. When we regain possession, we try to go forward as fast as we can, because then Alonso, or Juli (Julian Fernandez), or Maxi, or Hannes (Wolf) will be in a good space, in a good situation in order to go forward. And that's what he did, and that's what's going to stay the same going forward. I'm really happy for Alonso - after missing a few chances in previous games - that he got it in the back of the net."

NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese earned his sixth clean sheet of the season, already matching the career high he set last season. To show how dominant NYCFC's defense was, he only had to make one save. 

This was the seventh straight MLS game for NYCFC in which they or their opponent was shutout. Within this stretch, NYCFC has now notched four of the shutouts in MLS games, while they were kept off the board on April 19 in New England, May 10 against Montreal, and in this one. This technically was their eighth overall involving a shutout, as they were blanked on Wednesday, May 7, in the US Open Cup when they lost 1-0 to USL side Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

NYCFC has now won three straight regular season games against the Red Bulls. Their record in the Hudson River Derby is 11-11-4, including 8-3-2 in home matches. They have scored 34 goals and conceded 38 all-time against the Red Bulls. 

One tradition on both sides of the Hudson River Derby is the banners the fans will create, and this was no exception. Here is a depiction of an NCYFC fan waking up to the MLS Cup trophy the team won in 2021, while the Red Bulls still wait for one, although they reached the Final last season.

Photo by Jason Schott.