A deserved victory for the Red Bulls: they played very well, and Sacha Kljestan was the game’s outstanding player. NYC FC never recovered from giving up two goals in three minutes in the first half, and some impressive moments from Tommy McNamara aside, they were well beaten. They stay three points clear at the top, but that won’t remain for long unless they improve.
Congratulations to Jesse Marsch’s team: that’s two out of three derby wins for them this season. And we’ll wrap this blog up now. Thanks for reading.
Full-time: New York Red Bulls 4-1 NYC FC
That’s it!
90 min +2: Well, had McNamara’s shot not hit the bar in the second half, who knows what might have happened, but the Red Bulls have been much better today. NYC FC’s defensive effort has been pretty poor.
90 min: Four minutes of stoppage time. Lade shoots from 20 yards, but it’s wide. McCarty is replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips.
RED CARD! (White, NYC FC 89)
NYC FC have totally lost their discipline, and White is shown a red card for his second booking. Absolutely no argument.
87 min: Bravo is booked within about 60 seconds of coming on.
86 min: Bravo on for Pirlo with four minutes left.
85 min: A minor disagreement after Lampard trips Kljestan. Lampard is booked, and myriad players take the opportunity to point some fingers and push some chests. This is daft.
83 min: Wright-Phillips is withdrawn, and Sean Davis is on.
81 min: Harrison wins the corner. Nice move from the set piece: Pirlo finds Villa, who sets up McNamara, but it’s blocked. From the resulting corner, Robles claims with ease.
80 min: Ten minutes for NYC to perhaps get a goal, or at least stop it becoming a total rout.
79 min: Jason Hernandez replaces RJ Allen.
77 min: We’re back, and what a clearance by Mena! Muyl seemed certain to score, but Mena got back to hack it clear from the goalline! Brilliant saving clearance, but it was also a super pass from Kljestan, I think it was, to set Muyl clear.
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We’ll take another drinks break.
74 min: Free shot for David Villa, but he puts it over! He should have scored.
72 min: Lade chose the wrong option when well placed: Grella was totally free in the middle, but never received the pass. That’s Grella’s last action, and he’s replaced by Gonzalo Veron.
71 min: That was just a long kick from Robles. Muyl won the first header, Wright-Phillips raced clear, and showed good composure to round Saunders, check inside, and slot home with his left foot. A pretty poor defensive effort from NYC, but the Red Bulls have been much better.
GOAL! New York Red Bulls 4-1 NYC FC (Wright-Phillips 70)
That’s two for Wright-Phillips, and that really is that.
68 min: Tony Taylor replaces Andoni Iraola for the visitors.
66 min: Harrison wins the corner, but it might have been more: did Connor Lade foul the City midfielder just then? Pirlo with the set piece, and Brillant misses his kick! The centre-back was completely open, but he got it all wrong, and it’s out for a goal kick. Big chance.
62 min: Well, NYC FC have hope, especially with McNamara in the mood, but they must keep that back door shut. They’ve looked open in defence. Now Allen is booked for a late foul on Kljestan.
59 min: Oh, so unlucky from Tommy McNamara! An almost carbon copy of his first-half goal, but it came back off the underside of the bar! So, so, close: a couple of inches lower and he’d have had his second brilliant goal of the day. What an effort.
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57 min: Now Grella clips Allen, and it’s a booking. A clear foul, and totally unnecessary.
55 min: Oh, was that a penalty? RJ Allen on Grella! And now there’s some pushing and shoving. Ooh, Allen got lucky there, I think: he went to ground near the byline, and didn’t seem to take the ball. Grella can’t believe it, but Mark Geiger says no.
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54 min: Zubar is booked for a late tackle on David Villa.
52 min: Kljestan finds Muyl, who’s offside, needlessly.
51 min: Felipe from distance, and it’s off the top of the bar! It actually deflected off Mike Grella, so there won’t be a corner, much to Jesse Marsch’s chagrin.
49 min: Good crossfield pass from RJ Allen, and Lampard was on to it, rampaging through the middle, but it just wouldn’t quite sit for him, and the chance is lost.
47 min: Actually, it was Alex Muyl: he crossed from the left, and Saunders was struggling to get there, and it dinked off the top of the crossbar! Relief for the goalie.
We're back!
46 min: Red Bulls get us going. No changes from either side, and just like in the first half, the hosts nearly score within 30 seconds! Did that come off the woodwork from Grella?
Half-time: New York Red Bulls 3-1 NYC FC
Well, that was fun! Four goals, a penalty kick, a super hit from distance, and the expulsion of one of the coaches. Lots to enjoy here. Back in 15!
45 min +2: Shot by Muyl, straight at Saunders! It looked like Saunders was unsighted, so either side of him and it could have been four.
45 min +1: Three minutes of stoppage time.
45 min: That was a seriously good hit from McNamara. There was no pressure on the ball, but he struck it so sweetly. Robles had no chance, and that gives NYC FC something to cling on to.
44 min: McNamara went down in the box, but no decision from Geiger. It looked like a flop, to be honest.
GOAL! New York Red Bulls 3-1 NYC FC (McNamara 43)
What a goal from Tommy McNamara! Thirty yards out, and he just hit it … that’s an absolute screamer. Brilliant, brilliant goal. Maybe this isn’t all over!
41 min: Easy penalty decision for Mark Geiger: it was a clear handball. Brillant knew as soon as he did it, and Kljestan took the kick confidently. This could get ugly for New York City.
GOAL! New York Red Bulls 3-0 NYC FC (Kljestan pen 41)
And Kljestan sends Saunders the wrong way! Three-nil, and that’s surely that.
Penalty to the Red Bulls!
Handball against Brillant! He didn’t argue with the call.
38 min: The Red Bulls are on top here. NYC FC can’t get the ball.
35 min: Well, this is a jam for NYC. Two down, coach sent off, and it’s about a million degrees in the blazing sunshine. Still, the Red Bulls were two up against Philly last week and managed not to win, so there’s some hope, I suppose.
33 min: We’re back, and it looks as though Patrick Vieira has been escorted down the tunnel. And a chance for Wright-Phillips for 3-0 – blocked by Saunders!
That’s official, by the way: Patrick Vieira has been ejected from the game for “irresponsible behaviour”, which Julie Stewart-Binks on the touchline describes as “running his mouth at referee Mark Geiger”.
Stuart Holden points out on commentary that NYC FC had no one on the post for that Zubar goal. A guy on the post would have cleared that with ease. Doh!
31 min: It’s filthy hot, so we’ll take an official hydration break.
29 min: Grella does well to control Muyl’s pass, but he’s crowded out by Mena and Allen. NYRB looking for more goals here.
27 min: Lampard made a good forward run into the box, but Harrison’s pass was lacking. Had he got it right, Lampard was all alone in the penalty area.
25 min: Muyl is nearly in, and so too is Wright-Phillips. NYC FC need to get it together.
24 min: To paraphrase the former England boss Graham Taylor, this is a test for NYC. A real test. What to do now? Zubar just got up higher from the corner and Saunders had no chance. Another assist for Kljestan, who’s been superb.
Updated
GOAL! New York Red Bulls 2-0 NYC FC (Zubar 23)
No matter! From the corner, Zubar heads powerfully home for 2-0!
22 min: Oh, Grella! Kljestan played him in, on the right side, but Grella tried to turn inside Allen when he probably would have been better off shooting. It’s a corner, but it could have been more.
21 min: That’s a 55th career goal for BWP, and his sixth against his crosstown rivals. Collin won the header on halfway, and then NYC seemed to switch off. Kljestan picked it up 30 yards from goal, slipped a nice reverse pass into Wright-Phillips, between the two centre-back, and the striker clipped it beyond Saunders, calmly. Great finish, but slightly dopey defending from NYC FC.
GOAL! New York Red Bulls 1-0 NYC FC (Wright-Phillips 20)
The hosts lead!
17 min: Villa is almost in again, in identical fashion, but this time he’s offside. That’s a good attacking strategy for the visitors: as the Red Bulls push up to press, hit one long over the top for Villa, who’s always looking to run in behind.
15 min: Oh, David Villa puts it wide! Villa ran through the middle on to RJ Allen’s long pass, Robles stayed home, and Villa shot wide! His first touch was slightly awry, which made the chance more difficult, but he should have done better. A let-off for the Red Bulls.
13 min: Wright-Phillips goes down, and Ethan White is booked. Patrick Vieira isn’t happy – it looked like a 50-50 challenge, but maybe White was a little late. He went with two feet, too, which is always problematic. From the free kick, Kljestan swings it in, and McCarty heads over! Chance.
12 min: Poor backpass from Zizzo, and David Villa was nearly in, but Robles is alert to the danger, and smacks it into the stand.
10 min: It’s been competitive so far. NYC look as though they’ve found their way, and Allen has space, but his ball for Lampard is misdirected, and the Red Bulls clear.
7 min: McNamara wins another corner. Much better from the visitors after an uncertain start, but again, the delivery from Pirlo comes to naught.
5 min: Felipe has a it from distance, but it’s wide.
4 min: Good pass forward from Pirlo for the streaking McNamara, who does well to win a corner. Pirlo hits it deep, but the whistle goes for a foul.
3 min: Good positive start by the Red Bulls. NYC haven’t been out of their half.
2 min: Early chance for the Red Bulls, within 30 seconds! NYC turned it over in midfield, and Kljestan found Wright-Phillips, who skinned Mena, drove it across the box, but no one could apply the touch! Great start by the hosts.
And we're off!
1 min: The visitors get us under way. It’s about 100F at pitch level. Red Bulls in white shirts with red sleeves, and New York City in FC in sky blue.
The teams are coming out of the tunnel, and Red Bull Arena is loud.
It’s about 90F in Harrison, and humid, and it’s even warmer down at pitch level. Could that affect the Red Bulls’ pressing game?
So all the stars are here: Felipe, Kljestan, Lampard, Pirlo and David Villa are all included. Watch out for NYC’s Jack Harrison driving forward into the box.
Today's teams
New York Red Bulls: Robles, Zizzo, Collin, Zubar, Lade, Felipe, McCarty, Grella, Kljestan, Muyl, Wright-Phillips. Subs: Reynish, Perrinelle, Duvall, Bilyeu, Wright-Phillips, Davis, Veron.
New York City FC: Saunders, White, Brillant, Mena, Allen, Pirlo, Iraola, Lampard, Harrison, McNamara, David Villa. Subs: Johansen, Hernandez, Martinez, Ballouchy, Lopez, Taylor, Bravo.
Referee: Mark Geiger
Hello and welcome
It’s another Hudson River derby – but don’t expect another 0-7 thrashing. New York City FC have been on a good run of form since that dark day in May, winning five of their past six games, and they sit top of the rankings in the Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls are not too far back, in fourth, but they gave up two bad goals against Philly last time out, turning a 2-0 victory into a 2-2 draw, which caused skipper Dax McCarty to lose his temper with his team-mates.
“We have no spine on the road,” McCarty told reporters after Sunday’s match. “If you’re going to be nervous, if you don’t want the ball, teams smell blood. We’re not going to win anything this year if we don’t figure out a way to do better on the road.”
They’ll hope for better today in front of a boisterous home crowd in Harrison, New Jersey. Kick off is slated for 1pm ET – we should be getting going shortly after that.
Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Terrance Ross on why rivalries take time:
Many European rivalries are also products of the times: a political issue between rivals that’s spilled over to the football field, or just simply inter-region pride. But it didn’t happen overnight. MLS is concurrently a test tube for what the future of the league will be. Make no mistake, despite the massive progress that’s been made in the past 20 years, the league has a long way to go. Things take time. Just remember in the last 20 years we’ve had countdown clocks and hockey-style penalty shootouts.
Fandom is this enigmatic and intangible thing that can’t really be classified. It just is. The Sons of Ben and the Timbers Army are excellent examples of organic fan culture, and these two groups will forever be how embedded into the folklore of their respective clubs. Philadelphia Union’s Sons of Ben, who played a considerable role in the genesis of that club, even got to help design their own quadrant of the stadium. And this weekend will represent another watershed moment for American soccer. For the first time ever, ESPN’s SportsCenter will be on the road at an MLS game. The Timbers Army is sure to be out in full force.
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