Preview

New York is a soccer city. Other cities like Atlanta, Portland and Seattle might be more obvious hotbeds for soccer in the USA, but there is passion for The Beautiful Game in The Big Apple. That will shine through when New York City FC host the New York Red Bulls in this weekend’s MLS Eastern Conference semi-final.

By Graham Ruthven

Of course, the focus of this year’s MLS playoffs was meant to be on South Florida. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami had dominated the agenda until Atlanta United produced arguably the biggest shock in league history, knocking out the Herons over three games. Messi and co. will watch the rest of the playoffs on TV.

The Columbus Crew were a popular second pick to retain the MLS Cup they won last year. However, they too suffered a shock early defeat to the New York Red Bulls who made it beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018. NYC FC also upset the odds to topple FC Cincinnati.

Saturday’s meeting between the two New York rivals will be the 30th in MLS history, but never before has there been so much riding on a Hudson River Derby. The stakes of a do-or-die elimination game will lift the stakes to a whole new level. A place in the Eastern Conference final is on the line. So too is New York soccer dominance.

New York City FC have won MLS Cup once before. The Bronx outfit lifted the trophy in 2021, beating the Portland Timbers in a thrilling final at Providence Park. NYC FC have been a regular fixture in the latter stages of the playoffs over a number of years, most recently reaching the conference semi-finals in 2022.

For the New York Red Bulls, it’s been a different story in the playoffs. While RBNY boast the longest active playoff streak in American sports, their 15 years in the post-season have yielded nothing. Indeed, the Harrison-based club have never won a MLS Cup despite being a founding member of the league.

Both New York franchises have struggled to carve out an identity for themselves. NYC FC have had star players and lifted silverware, but they are still splitting home matches between Citi Field and Yankee Stadium – two baseball stadiums. The City Football Group-owned club’s new 25-000-capacity stadium won’t be completed until 2027.

RBNY have a modern soccer-specific stadium, but have struggled to fill it. The fanbase feels marginalised by an ownership group that considers MLS an afterthought. “MLS is developing, but it’s developing far too slowly and is still far away from the standard we would imagine for a country like the USA,” said Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull CEO, in a recent interview.

Mintzlaff might have a point, but many would argue the New York Red Bulls are part of the problem. Ambition has been in short supply at Red Bull Arena in recent times. The days of Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill have faded in the memory. Marquee signings are more likely to end up in Los Angeles or Miami than Harrison. 

Under Sandro Schwarz, though, RBNY have made genuine progress. The former Hertha Berlin coach has moved his team away from the pure Red Bull identity and has turned RBNY into a more proactive outfit that can now control matches through their use of possession. The quick transition threat is still there, but the Red Bulls are a more rounded outfit under Schwarz.

Emil Forsberg and Lewis Morgan have the ability to decide a match in the attacking third while the likes of John Tolkin, Dylan Nealis and Noah Elie have continued to develop over the course of the campaign. After sweeping the Columbus Crew in Round One, RBNY could feasibly make the conference finals for the first time since 2008.

NYC FC also have talent, although most believed this season’s playoffs would come a year too early for Nick Cushing’s team. By seeing off FC Cincinnati in Round One, though, the Bronx outfit proved they have the talent to beat the strongest opponents with NYC FC’s defensive solidity getting them through three matches with three clean sheets.

To make it past RBNY, attacking difference-makers like Santi Rodríguez, Alonso Martínez and Hannes Wolf will have to step up for New York City FC who have yet to score a goal in the playoffs. The hope for NYC FC is that they have an even higher level to reach in Saturday’s Hudson River Derby.

With Messi and Inter Miami no longer consuming all the oxygen around this year’s MLS playoffs, Saturday’s meeting between New York’s two teams will be a defining moment in the 2024 season. No matter the outcome, NYC FC and RBNY will produce a spectacle unlike anything else seen in this rivalry before.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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