In what was arguably the most consequential Hudson River Derby to date, New York City FC breezed past the New York Red Bulls in front of an announced crowd of 25,291 at Red Bull Arena, winning 1-5 to complete the season sweep of their bitter rivals for the first time since 2022 — and for just third time overall in history. NYCFC ended their nine-game winless streak in dominant fashion, scoring a club-high five goals against the Red Bulls in Harrison.
The icing on the cake was that results elsewhere in the league went New York City's way, officially confirming their spot in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The scoring came early, with Maxi Moralez capitalizing on a misplaced pass from Red Bulls goalkeeper Carlos Coronel in the fifth minute. Just two minutes later, Alonso Martínez then found the back of the net in true El Clínico fashion. The Red Bulls pulled a goal back about halfway through the half, but NYCFC fired right back with two goals to lead 4-1 at halftime. Then Tayvon Gray capped things off with the first career goal of his MLS career, becoming the fourth New York City homegrown player in history to score for the club.
New York City: 11 shots, 6 shots on target, 47% possession, 369 passes, 78.6% pass accuracy, 11 fouls, 3 saves
New York Red Bulls: 14 shots, 4 shots on target, 53% possession, 403 passes, 81.9% pass accuracy, 12 fouls, 1 save
Goals:
• New York City, Maxi Moralez, 5'
• New York City, Alonso Martínez, 7'
• New York Red Bulls, Dante Vanzeir, 28'
• New York City, Andrés Perea, 30'
• New York City, Alonso Martínez, 45+5'
• New York City, Tayvon Gray, 68'
Attendance: 25,291
Chaotic first half
As expected, the Red Bulls came out the gates hot, pressing NYCFC back into their half.
But New York City gave the Red Bulls a taste of their own medicine in just the fifth minute. Alonso Martínez and Maxi Moralez did well to close down Coronel, forcing the Red Bulls goalkeeper to play a sloppy pass that Moralez easily intercepted. Moralez finished the ball in the net for his first MLS goal since October 30, 2022, when NYCFC lost to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference finals.
AGING LIKE A FINE WINE 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/lynQouGGGg
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) September 28, 2024
Just two minutes later, the Red Bulls made another error leading to a New York City goal. Daniel Edelman played a heavy pass intended for center-back Andrés Reyes, but Martínez did well to intercept the ball and outpace Reyes, making himself one-on-one with Coronel. Martínez finished the ball with ease.
ALONSO. ALWAYS. DELIVERS. pic.twitter.com/U4dloUEK7n
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) September 28, 2024
The Red Bulls pulled a goal back from Dante Vanzeir off a poorly defended corner, but New York City instantly responded two minutes later.
Gray hit a perfectly-hit cross to the back post that was met by a leaping Andrés Perea, who slammed the header into the back of the net for his third goal of the season. It was also Gray's seventh assist in 2024, the most on the team.
NOW THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL A RESPONSE 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/8OIdHg4Ivl
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) September 29, 2024
Perea, who played as a left-winger against the Red Bulls, spoke about his goal after the game, saying that he works a lot in training and sometimes on goal scoring.
Andres Perea on scoring timely, important goals throughout his #NYCFC career. pic.twitter.com/jBqii92lVK
— Matthew Mangam (@MatthewMangam) September 29, 2024
With a 3-1 lead in the 31st minute, NYCFC did not take their foot off the gas pedal. A good run from Keaton Parks on the left flank saw him thread a pass to Kevin O'Toole, who played a perfectly-hit pass into the box. That ball found Martínez, who patiently waited to strike it right under the hands of a diving Coronel. That goal put Martínez sixth in New York City's all-time in goal-scoring leaders in a single season.
New York City FC | All-Time Leaders Goals Per Season
| Name | Year | G | Mins | G/90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | David Villa | 2016 | 23 | 2869 | 0.72 |
| 2. | David Villa | 2017 | 22 | 2556 | 0.77 |
| 3. | Taty Castellanos | 2021 | 19 | 2760 | 0.62 |
| 4. | David Villa | 2015 | 18 | 2514 | 0.64 |
| 5. | Héber | 2019 | 15 | 1575 | 0.86 |
| 6. | Alonso Martínez | 2024 | 14 | 1262 | 1.00 |
| 7. | David Villa | 2018 | 14 | 1754 | 0.72 |
| 8. | Taty Castellanos | 2022 | 13 | 1436 | 0.81 |
| 9. | Alexandru Mitriță | 2019 | 12 | 2172 | 0.50 |
| 10. | Frank Lampard | 2016 | 12 | 1280 | 0.84 |
NYCFC led 4-1 at halftime and found themselves in the driver's seat, with six shots and four on target, compared to the Red Bulls' four shots and three on goal. The quick response from New York City was crucial — the Red Bulls do not often lose in front of their home crowd.
Tayvon Gray has himself a night
The second half was much more even between both sides. The Red Bulls forced Matt Freese into some great saves and were knocking on the door.
Another misplaced backpass from the Red Bulls saw Moralez play a through ball to Martínez, who was inches away from scoring his second hat trick this season.
Gray must've been jealous after fellow homegrown James Sands scored his first career NYCFC goal last week against Inter Miami, because the Bronx native got in on the party with his first career goal against the Red Bulls.
A REAL NEW YORKER 🥶 pic.twitter.com/vDCmpCTHx6
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) September 29, 2024
It was a great finish — Moralez laid the ball on a plate for Gray, and all he had to do was smash it into the back of the net.
After the game, Gray was all smiles after the goal and spoke about his performance. He also discussed his emergence as a playmaking right back and the setup for Perea's goal.
Tayvon Gray on his goal, team-high seven assists and setting up Andres Perea on his goal. #NYCFC pic.twitter.com/rKCLLgAvfl
— Matthew Mangam (@MatthewMangam) September 29, 2024
Hudson River Blue Staff
A statement win
In last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Miami in front of a crowd of 44,738 at Yankee Soccer Stadium, New York City looked to be building momentum. True, they didn't win that game, but locking Lionel Messi down and scoring a last-minute equalizer felt like three points.
NYCFC needed a win in Harrison against the Red Bulls not just for bragging rights, but also to earn a fourth-place spot in the Eastern Conference and home-field advantage in the playoffs.
New York City won in dramatic fashion, routing their rivals in what feels like a breakthrough moment this season. Ending the nine-game winless streak was crucial, but doing it in a thrashing on the road like this – that's impressive.
Andrew Leigh
Was it the Sands goal against Miami? After all, head coach Nick Cushing spoke about that after the game, saying how it could be that turning point that changes everything.
Ten days after suffering a dispiriting 1-5 home loss to a Philadelphia Union they were expected to beat in their worst home defeat since 2016, NYCFC marched into Harrison and humbled the Red Bulls, earning their biggest win at Red Bull Arena yet. At the same time, New York City also clinched a spot in the 2024 MLS Playoffs.
New York City are hitting their stride at just the right time. On a night like this, this team looked like they could very well repeat the club's 2021 MLS Cup win.
• New York Red Bulls, Andrés Reyes, yellow card, foul 14′
• New York Red Bulls, Peter Stroud, yellow card, foul 90+5'
Officials
• Referee: Tori Penso
• Assistant referees: Logan Brown, Ryan Graves
• Fourth official: Alexis Da Silva
• VAR: David Barrie
• Assistant VAR: TJ Zablocki
Andrew Leigh
