NYCFC defeat New Jersey Red Bulls
New York, (September 17, 2022) –Nick Cushing’s tactics set the table for a commanding 2-0 win in the Bronx, further embarrassing Gerhard Stuber in the Hudson River Derby.
For the second time this season, New York City FC held the New Jersey Red Bulls scoreless in a tactical masterclass by a squad that controlled the game from the opening whistle. In July’s Hudson River Derby, it was a shock 0-1 win at Red Bull Arena over a high-pressing New Jersey team that had grown accustomed to using NYCFC as a punching bag and wrongly expected the Pigeons to fall apart in transition. Last night, it was a commanding 2-0 shutout in front of more than 30,000 fans at Yankee Soccer Stadium when an overconfident Red Bulls looked completely unprepared to play a team that have rediscovered their form.
It was as if Red Bulls head coach Gerhard Struber made the delusional decision that his side was going to play the NYCFC that lost to lowly DC United at Red Bull Arena on August 31, and not the NYCFC that beat Liga MX champions Atlas FC on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium to win the Campeones Cup.
But soccer has rules, and one of them is that the opposing coach doesn’t get to pick your lineup. NYCFC interim head coach Nick Cushing put out a Starting XI that closely resembled the impressive squad that won the Campeones Cup, and Struber’s Red Bulls buckled within seconds of the start of the game.New Jersey gave up a corner while the broadcast announcers were still making introductions, and Alex Callens headed in a goal with less than one minute showing on the clock.
The goal was a near-copy of the one Callens scored off a corner in the fourth minute of Wednesday’s game against Atlas. Where the Atlas goal was a little scrappy, this was composed and scored off a flicked volley from Santiago Rodríguez. If Wednesday’s goal was the draft, yesterday’s was the final.
Rodríguez scored on a corner kick in the 23rd minute, and New Jersey were forced to chase a game that Struber had guaranteed would be a Red Bulls win.
Let’s give credit where it’s due: This was more a Cushing triumph than a Struber failure. The NYCFC coach once again demonstrated a tactical acuity that was missing during the Ronny Deila era. Still, it didn’t hurt that the Red Bulls were as arrogant as they were ill-prepared. If only all of NYCFC’s remaining opponents would underestimate the club this much.
Game Stats
NYCFC: 5 shots, 3 on goal, 55.6% possession, 443 passes, 71.8% accuracy, 8 fouls
Red Bulls: 9 shots, 1 on goal, 44.4% possession, 346 passes, 65.3% accuracy, 19 fouls
New York is Blue
Rationally speaking, a derby like this one is just a league game with three points at stake. Yesterday’s win helped New York City firm up the club’s grip on home-field advantage in the postseason. Nothing more, nothing less.
Emotionally, it’s a different story. The Hudson River Derby feels like a playoff game with a lot at stake. It’s not just the bragging rights, although it feels good to say that New York is blue. It’s the tense history between these two clubs: The brawls, the blown calls, the painful results. Not only did New Jersey serve NYCFC with the biggest loss in club history, they have dominated New York City like no other team in MLS.
NYCFC vs Red Bulls by head coach, MLS league games.
That’s why yesterday’s result resonates far beyond the three points earned by New York City. It goes a long way to correct the record against a team that insist on calling themselves the New York Red Bulls for marketing reasons even though their entire operations are located in New Jersey. In this game, Cushing demystified a legitimately good Red Bulls team that at times seemed to win games through the sheer force of their aura. Last year, Deila got NYCFC over the postseason yips that derailed previous squads and taught the team that they can win a tournament; this year, Cushing established that New York City’s domination of the Red Bulls, and that it’s possible to suffocate the frantic pace of a transition team while playing an attractive and entertaining game.
