Sorry all you moms out there. This just won’t be your day. Well, not in the Metropolitan area anyway.
Today is D-Day. That’s ‘D’ as in Derby. And if you don’t know what that is, you will soon.
Since New York City FC was announced as an expansion club just under two years ago, Major League Soccer and its fans have looked forward to the first-ever game between the Red Bulls and NYCFC. That day is finally here, and Sunday night in Red Bull Arena, in front of a packed house, the game will unfold between one of the league’s original teams 20 years ago, and one still in its infancy.
“If you look around the world in all the big countries where the leagues are respected they have a massive derby, and this league should be no different in a city like New York,” Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips said. “It’s a no-brainer to have two teams battling here.”
The Red Bulls and New York City FC will play two more times this season – June 28 at Yankee Stadium and Aug. 9 at Red Bull Arena – but the first is the one people will always remember.
“From the beginning I said that having NYCFC is only going to help the soccer in this area,” Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. “This area is already a soccer hotbed, there’s fans everywhere, and just creating a rivalry is going to be very important for MLS.
“Rivalries have to happen on the field, they have to happen in big games, games that matter, games that are won and lost. This could be the start of something historic and it’s exciting because it’s the first game and obviously you want those bragging rights for the next couple of months before you meet them again.”
Looking at the standings you would think the game might be a mismatch. The Red Bulls (3-1-4) are third in the 10-team Eastern Conference while NYCFC (1-5-3) is eighth. The Red Bulls have scored more goals (12-6) and allowed fewer goals (8, compared to 10) and are the established team. So that should make all the difference, right?
Think again. Hey, this is a derby, remember?
“Their performances have been better than their results,” Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said. “If you’re in this league long enough you know that the (records) don’t always matter because anybody can beat anybody on a given day. And certainly in a derby match you have to be prepared for everybody to be at their best.”
Wright-Phillips played in derbies in England and he is excited about what this could mean to MLS.
“The one that stands out to me is when I was younger at Man City,” he said. “I came on in the Manchester derby, it wasn’t very long but the atmosphere was amazing. The fans, it means so much to them, obviously seeing the games on tv, but there in the stadium is something special.
“On a derby day (the records) go out the window and they’re going to give their all. We’re going to have to be prepared for that. They’re in the East, we’re in the East, we need these points. The occasion makes it a big deal but we want the points at the end of the day. For the fans, it’s bragging rights for that weekend until we meet again. It’s very important for the fans. It’s probably their biggest game and we’re going to try and win it for them.”
Red Bulls vs. NYCFC is not Manchester City-Manchester United. We know that. That derby goes back more than a century. But Wright-Phillips believes this one can gain steam in a hurry.
“There’s too much history in those games and major players who have played in them and made special moments,” he said about the Manchester rivarly. “But in years to come, in a city like New York, it could be the biggest.”
Kljestan experienced this before in MLS when he was a member of Chivas USA. Games against the Galaxy, he said, meant everything. And it’s the same in this case.
“It’s exciting because it’s the start of something that could become historical,” he said.
Marsch seems to have enjoyed the week with all the extra attention. He played in MLS when there was not enough of that and he knows what this could mean for the future of the league. Still, he is wary of NYCFC. Midfielder David Villa will return from injury and they have a number of quality players. But he also knows that the Red Bulls are the big boys in town, and that’s not a level he is willing to concede.
“It will be very cool, especially for the guys that have been at this club for a while, like Dax (McCarty) and Luis (Robles). I think they want to make sure we put our imprint on this series right from the start,” the coach said. “The guys who have been around here, there’s a lot of pride in what’s gone on with the club, and I have a lot of pride in being here, too. ... I know that a lot of that pride going forward will be measuring ourselves against New York City.
“I think our fans are ready to put a stamp on this, and I know our team will be, too.”
So now all you mothers understand what derbies are all about. Sorry it will take away from the day for many of you, although, in reality, every day should be Mother’s Day. Odds are another derby won’t be played on this date next year so it will go back to being your day.
Then again, for all you soccer moms out there, this could become a regular tradition.
Frank Giase has covered Major League Soccer since the league's inception in 1996. Follow him on twitter at @Frank Giase. He can also be reached at fgiase@gmail.com.
