NEW YORK – What happens when you score a touchdown in a baseball stadium? A whole lot of twisting, plenty of shouting, and one truly great time at the old ballgame.
In their second-ever trip to Yankee Stadium, the New York Red Bulls dropped a seven spot on New York City FC, continuing their dominance over their crosstown rivals. Through their first four meetings, the Red Bulls have outscored NYCFC 14-2 while collecting all 12 points in the process.
As you might expect, plenty to talk about in this one; here are my seven takeaways from the Bronx.
Breaking Out the Heavy Lumber
In the midst of their 21st season in Major League Soccer, the Red Bulls (and MetroStars) have been involved in plenty of historic matches, yet they managed to make even more on Saturday afternoon.
Thanks to goals from Dax McCarty, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Alex Muyl, Gonzalo Veron, and Gideon Baah, the Red Bulls now boast a new team-record for most goals in a match.
BWP vs. NYCFC
Bradley Wright-Phillips has scored against plenty of teams throughout his tenure in MLS, but the Englishman has showed a particular propensity to find the back of the net against the boys in blue.
Ever since scoring the first-ever goal in the New York Derby last May, Wright-Phillips has continued the streak at an impressive rate. With his latest brace, Wright-Phillips raised his goals per game average to 1.5 when playing against NYCFC, tallying six goals in four games.
“I don’t go about these games any differently, but there is a different kind of feeling in your stomach before these games,” he said after the match. “I really don’t know. The big man is shining on me in this game. I’ve been struggling to get goals this season, but today I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Homegrown Homecoming
Only in his rookie season, Homegrown Alex Muyl has already made his impact felt both on and off the pitch. But on Saturday afternoon, that impact was seen in the box score as Muyl bagged his first MLS goal.
“He has earned the respect of his teammates at the highest level,” head coach Jesse Marsch said in his postgame press conference. “When he steps on the field, he gives everything he has. For a young guy, they’ve grown to love him, so it’s been easy for me to make the decision to put him on the field.”
Added Muyl: “I’m very happy. People were starting to ask me when it was going to happen, but I finally got it done.”
Captain Clutch
Perhaps he knew the visiting fans would be on edge in a tense and heated rivalry match and hoped to alleviate the anxious traveling fans. Whatever the reason, captain Dax McCarty got the match off to a dream start after heading home the game’s first goal in the third minute.
When it was all said and done, McCarty would walk away with a brace of his own—the first of his MLS career—the beneficiary of yet another Sacha Kljestan set piece delivery.
So when was the last time the Ginger Ninja bagged two goals in a game?
“Maybe U-15,” he said with a smile. “Guess I picked a good game to do it.”
Dominating the Derby
The credentials of this rivalry have often been questioned. After all, NYCFC is but a year-old franchise. But given the passion in the stands on the pitch, it’s easy to understand why these matches mean more than most.
And as is the case in every derby around the world, defining moments are what cement rivalries in the minds of the fans. On Saturday afternoon, suffice to say, we got one.
“It’s a good feeling,” defender Connor Lade told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “You don’t really draw it up that way, you just try to score as many as you can. It’s a statement game. We wanted to make a statement this game and I think we did that.”
Improving to 4-0-0 against NYCFC, it’s evident to those within the locker room that the passion within the fan base has resonated on the field.
“I’ve been a part of great rivalry games and it means more to the fans,” Kljestan said. I’m really proud to have given them three points tonight.
“I don’t think we’ll ever see a derby game like that; this is probably a one-off thing,” Kljestan said. “It’s a good feeling because I know 10, 20, 30 years from know when I see these boys again, we’re all going to talk about this night.”
South Ward in the South Bronx
Despite a reduction in their ticket allotment, New York’s loudest and most loyal supporters certainly made their presence felt on Saturday afternoon.
Rocking the upper deck at Yankee Stadium, the traveling faithful had plenty to cheer about all game long as record-setting win kept the party going all game long.
“It was awesome,” Marsch said. “The ‘red’ during the national anthem was awesome. I think the fans will be able to tell their kids that they were at this game. They’ve been by our side— a lot of them have been sending me texts—and when we were 1-6 they could have easily been booing me and telling me to get out of town. They’ve earned this opportunity to celebrate, they’ve stuck with us all year, and they continue to believe. As much as it’s validation for our team, I think it’s an expression also for our fans.”
Back on Track
Speaking of that 1-6 start, it certainly was a rocky start for the Red Bulls.
Struggling on both sides of the ball, the Red Bulls saw themselves near the bottom of the table as the question began to mount. But following back-to-back shutout wins, a quiet air of confidence has returned to the New York locker room.
“I think the last five games—barring the D.C. game—we’ve shown that we can get past the rough patch of our season and really turn it around,” Muyl said. “Tonight was a huge statement for us to come to someone else’s house and do this.”
Somewhat surprisingly, the Red Bulls find themselves just one point off the pace from their 2015 season, a year that ended in Supporters’ Shield triumph.
“We’ve put ourselves back on good ground,” Kljestan said. “We’re up there in the East, we’re moving towards the top, and we have a bit of momentum now. Now we have to carry that into our next few games.”
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