NEW YORK—After a one-sided series in 2015, the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC are ready to hit the reset button on their blossoming rivalry.
Not that the Red Bulls and their fans will soon forget the three-game sweep of their fellow New Yorkers last year. It’s just that when the ball starts rolling on Saturday at Yankee Stadium (3 pm ET, FOX), RBNY’s perfect start in the derby will go out the window.
“Last year has absolutely no bearing on what’s going to happen on the field this year,” said Red Bulls captain Dax McCarty, ahead of Saturday’s clash. “I think if anything, it gives them the motivation to come out and play well, especially with the first game being at Yankee Stadium.”
Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips agreed with his teammate, noting, “They’ve upped their game, it’s going to be a much tougher test come Saturday. With us beating them three times last year, if I’m on that team I would be absolutely livid. I couldn’t wait to get back out there and play us, so it’s going to be so much more difficult, and we have to be ready for that.”
The Red Bulls were full of praise for what their rivals have been able to do in recent weeks, bouncing back from a slow start to go 3-0-2 in their last five games and rise to the top of the Eastern Conference, where McCarty said “they deserve to be” based on their recent play.
RBNY have experienced a similar turnaround, rebounding from a 1-6 start to go 3-1-1 in their last five games and move themselves back into a playoff spot with a third of the season gone.
“We feel like we’re starting to get the momentum rolling,” said Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch. “We know the hard work’s not done yet, but we do feel like we’re starting to turn the corner and certainly there’s no better way to put it to the test than a game like Saturday.”
Having hosted two of the three derby games last year, the Red Bulls will now have to start the series at Yankee Stadium and play another game there on July 3 before hosting NYCFC at Red Bull Arena on July 24 in the teams’ final regular-season match-up of the year. However, Marsch sees some advantages to his team playing on the Yankee Stadium, even if the vast majority of fans there will be rooting against his team.
“It sets up for a fast game, a combative game, one that we like. We actually think the small field in many ways favors our style of play,” Marsch explained. “The atmosphere at Yankee Stadium – it’s a little awkward because you’re situated in the stadium, kind of catawampus, so it’s hard to understand the lines sometimes, your space. But when that stadium gets filled, there’s so much energy and it really makes for an exciting match.”
And though players and coaches from both sides are excited for the spectacle ahead, the scheduling around the first New York Derby did provide a talking point for the players as they discussed their preparation for the game. McCarty questioned the wisdom of scheduling such a high-profile game on a Saturday after both teams had played Wednesday, including a second road game in four days for NYCFC.
His teammate, Felipe, was less concerned.
“It’s always the right time to play a game like this,” he said with a smile. “It’s always the right time to play against New York City and no matter if it’s Sunday, Saturday, Friday, Thursday, we’re always going to be ready to play against them.”
