The New York Red Bulls are looking to keep their hopes of a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs alive when they host rivals New York City FC on Saturday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.
Riding a 15-season run of qualifying for the postseason, the Red Bulls sit two points below the Eastern Conference playoff cutoff, with 43 points and three games remaining, chasing Chicago Fire FC, who have 45 points and one less game played.
NYCFC, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back from a 4–0 midweek defeat to Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami, with hopes of securing a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference, which would give them home advantage in the first-round best-of-three series to open the playoffs.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the 32nd Hudson River derby.
What Time Does New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC Kick-Off?
- Location: Harrison, New Jersey
- Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 27
- Kick-Off Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT
New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC Head-to-Head Record
- New York Red Bulls: 16 wins
- NYCFC: 11 wins
- Draws: 4
- Previous meeting: NYCFC 2–0 New York Red Bulls - May 17 ,2025 (MLS Regular Season)
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC on TV
NYCFC Team News
New York City FC did not have a 4–0 loss to Inter Miami in their ideal plans after winning four of their previous five games heading into the matchup with the Herons. Yet now they look to rebound against their rivals, hoping to lift themselves back into the top four of the Eastern Conference.
Costa Rica international Alonso Martínez leads the team with 17 goals and two assists, but will be missing due to injury, leaving summer addition Nicolas Férnandez Mercau with more responsibility in the attack. Potentially, that means more reliance on U.S. men’s national team backstop Matt Freese as well, after he made several sprawling saves against the Herons despite the result.
Before the Miami loss, NYCFC snapped Charlotte FC’s nine-game win streak, which was tied for the longest win streak in MLS regular-season history outside of the shootout era. The Pigeons’ success has also made them one of the best defensive sides, conceding just 39 goals, which ranks them 10th in MLS for the best defense.
“The things that I agreed with, taking on this project, were playing for a top-four spot in general,” NYCFC head coach Pascal Jansen said after the Charlotte win. “We clinched the playoff spot, and it’s a success, but we want more.”
In addition to Martínez's absence, Nico Cavallo, Malachi Jones and Keaton Parks are all expected to be unavailable due to injury.
New York City FC Predicted Lineup vs. New York Red Bulls
New York City FC Predicted Lineup vs. New York Red Bulls (4-2-3-1): Freese; Ilenič, Martins, Raul, O'Toole; Perea, Haak; Ojeda, Moralez, Wolf; Fernández
New York Red Bulls Team News
It’s not technically a must-win for the New York Red Bulls, but it’s close. Without a victory, their hopes of extending their MLS Cup Playoff streak to 16 years would be in jeopardy, as they would fall significantly behind Chicago for the ninth and final playoff berth.
Last week, both Designated Players, Emil Forsberg and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had promising performances, bringing them to 10 and 16 goals respectively. The players will be brimming with confidence heading into the Hudson River derby.
The Red Bulls will have momentum and rest on their side in this one, along with the help of former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who stepped in to lead Red Bulls training this week as part of his duties with the Red Bull Football Group.
While Forsberg and Choupo-Moting lead the attack, the group also relies on the defensive core of goalkeeper Carlos Coronel and center backs Noah Eile and Tim Parker, the latter of whom scored against Montreal.
However, they will need all players in top form should they want to topple a strong NYCFC side and keep their playoff hopes alive for another week.
“Pressure is necessary when you want to bring your best performance on the pitch,” head coach Sandro Schwarz said. “That's my experience…I'm not talking every day about the playoff situation, and I'm also not talking now about the derby… I feel it every second, and I feel it every minute but it doesn't mean that I'm talking every minute about it.”
Injury-wise, the Red Bulls will likely miss Cameron Harper, AJ Marcucci and Scotland international, Lewis Morgan.
New York Red Bulls Predicted Lineup vs New York City FC
New York Red Bulls Predicted Lineup vs New York City FC (4-4-2): Coronel; Duncan, Eile, Parker, Edwards; Carmona, Donkor, Edelman, Forsberg, Hall, Choupo-Moting
New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC Score Prediction
The New York Red Bulls are rested, at home and desperate in the 32nd Hudson River derby; those factors should play into their favor when it comes to securing a result. Although NYCFC are the better team, expect the Red Bulls to come out of this one on the right side, keeping the pressure on the Eastern Conference playoff race.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
