Rivalry Weekend in New York: NYCFC Continue City's Sporting High After Derby Win | OneFootball

From packed stands and effervescent hope brimming across the city’s sporting landscape, Saturday brought a can’t-miss day on New York City’s sports calendar.

Over 30,000 fans packed into the New York Mets’ Citi Field in the afternoon, while 47,500 others found their way to Yankee Stadium. They were taking in a weekend of rivalries, with New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls battling in Queens and the Yankees taking on the Mets in the Bronx.

Basking not only in the glow of the springtime sun after a week of dreary weather, the feverish faithful took in events less than 24 hours after the New York Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference final in the NBA playoffs.

It’s been a special few days to be a sports fan in New York City––especially if you’re a Knicks, NYCFC and Mets fan.

The Perfect NYCFC Response

Maxi Moralez showed his ageless class in midfield for New York City FC in their Hudson River Derby win. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

While not playing in their usual confines of Yankee Stadium, NYCFC painted the city’s soccer outlook blue, with a commanding 2–0 victory over the Red Bulls, who were thriving after a 7–0 win over the defending MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy last week.

The emphatic win was a perfect NYCFC response to the Red Bulls, who knocked them out of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs in the last matchup between the two sides.

“It felt great. The stadium was amazing, and the fans all came out to support us after what’s been a difficult week,” said City midfielder Justin Haak. “ This win is perfect for us, and hopefully we can build on it.”

Although both teams have achieved greater heights over the last few years, the derby always adds an extra spark.

Whether it was the Alonso Martinez screamer to open the scoring,  the poor touch from Red Bulls keeper Carlos Coronel or 17-year-old Jonathan Shore getting into the match, Saturday’s Hudson River Derby met expectations.

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Yet few players rise to the occasion like NYCFC’s veteran midfield talisman, Maxi Moralez. Even at age 38, he remains a fixture in the derby, caressing distributions in the midfield and leading NYCFC as he’s done since 2017.

Despite not having a goal contribution since the opening matchday draw against Inter Miami CF, the Argentine showed what he was capable of, while reminding supporters what the matchup can mean.

At the same time, his play allowed Shore to come into the game, and Martinez to star up front, showcasing the club’s past success, and bright future, with Moralez the intertwining constant.

“[The win] is very important,” NYCFC defender Tayvon Gray said. “We had a few games recently where we should have won, or where a draw felt like a loss because we didn’t get the result.”

Can New York City FC Continue to Rise?

New York City FC don't have a superstar, but could they become a contending team in the Eastern Conference? / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With the derby win secured, NYCFC has now won three of its last five MLS matches and rose to sixth in the Eastern Conference on 21 points, eight points behind the Philadelphia Union for the top seed.

Led by Martinez and Moralez, the group has come together with a new tactical look under manager Pascal Jansen and have begun to iron out how they want to play. However, many of their matches stay close, as they lack an outright superstar in midfield.

The next step for them will be stringing together consecutive results while continuing to develop into a top side in the Eastern Conference.

Even though the season is only nearing its halfway mark, and they will likely look for midseason star power, they will hope their efforts can continue New York’s sporting high alongside the Knicks, Mets and Yankees.

“If you look at the first half, I think we should’ve already scored two or three goals, but that’s somewhat of a habit of ours so far this season—missing chances,” Jansen said. "[But], this is a good step forward, but I'm already looking forward to the next game to see if we can stay consistent."

The second MLS Hudson River Derby of the season is set for Sept. 27