When the New York Red Bulls faced off against NYCFC last year for the New York Derby series, it was finally time to find out what color New York was. But, as red versus blue had already become one of the strongest Major League Soccer rivalries before then, it was pretty difficult to tell that May 10th at Red Bull Arena was the first iteration of it in a stadium.
The weeks leading up to the games were packed with social media assurances from both fans and players that New York was red, and then while the team made sure the world could see that during the games themselves, the supporters did all they could to make sure they would hear it too.
For 270 minutes – not including the lengthy and loud celebrations after each final whistle – they chanted and sang; T.J. Peterson remembers the passion being “not just found in the supporters section” but “in the entire arena.” And, of course, the supporters knocked it out of the park with every tifo. And even when it didn’t seem possible, the excitement grew as the Red Bulls moved toward a sweep and then exploded when they did; the Empire Supporters Club even sent a few gifts to top off the occasion.
After riding the waves of a year in which the rivalry was limited to talk and tweets, and it was almost cathartic for it all to finally come to a head. But this year won’t be any different: while there’s something to be said about novelty, there’s something stronger to be said about rivalry. It’s no longer about proving New York is Red; it’s about proving that it, as Andrew Timoni puts it, “will continue to be.”
This year, the Red Bulls travel to Yankee Stadium to kick the derby off. And although they won’t be able to send 1,500 fans to Yankee Stadium this time around, that’s not going to stop anybody from drowning out the New York City home support once again. If anything, says Empire of Soccer’s Steven Ferrezza, the supporters are using the lowered allocation as a “rallying cry.”
“We will still bring the noise,” says Ferrezza. “It’s about quality over quantity. [Last year] we outperformed them on the field and in the stands; this year, we expect more of the same.”
And as for quantity, to make up for the decrease in it, Kerissa Ward assures that the supporters’ section will be “singing twice as loud for the full 90.” If it’s twice as loud as last year, those Red Bulls fans watching in Legends Bar might not be able to distinguish whether they’re hearing their counterparts through the TV or through the windows.
Now, not only does the game have stake in bragging rights, it has extra stake in the table – which is why Ward says that it’s “going to be even more tense this year.” Juan Hincapie, too, expects “more of the same” of the “memorable atmosphere” precisely because both teams are more evenly matched on paper.
But the one thing NYCFC can’t match is the history. Red Bulls supporters have been dominating away days for decades – not least of which last year’s derby trip to the Bronx – because “NY is Red,” as Ward puts it, is not just about this one derby, but about “just a feeling of passion for a sport and a club” that’s been an underlying aspect of the Metro area long before it was an official slogan.
Nor can NYCFC match the Red Bulls in the history of the series. “[The NYCFC] supporters talk a big game and their team has not been able to back it up for them,” Timoni says. Meanwhile, says Ward, “the civilians we pass will…hear the [Red Bulls] history in the chants and songs” as the Red Bulls support march to watch their team continue batting a thousand.
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