HARRISON, N.J. – After a brief hiccup, it was back to business as usual in the New York Derby.
Managing the daunting July heat, the Red Bulls made quick work of New York City, cruising to a 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon, topping their crosstown rivals for the fifth time in six meetings. After earning another three points in front of their faithful fans, the Red Bulls move to joint top of the league with home wins.
Here are my takeaways from a hot one in Harrison.
Stars Step Up
Big matches tend to require big performances, and that’s just what New York got from Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips on Sunday afternoon.
“Especially in big games, we need those two to control the game,” goalkeeper Luis Robles said. “When we’re able to find Sacha, good things happen. When he’s able to find Brad, even better things happen. It was almost surprising to see the way they let us play through them. We know that every opponent isn’t going to be like that, but somehow those two guys have to find a way to keep our engine going. They were able to do that today which was fantastic.”
The Sacha-BWP connection got things started in the 20th minute to stake the Red Bulls to an early lead. From there, their dominance would continue with Kljestan assisting a Ronald Zubar goal from a corner before getting on the score sheet himself. Wright-Phillips finished things off with a solo effort to secure his brace and the match out of reach.
“I’ve grown up watching derbies and I get nervous before them, it’s a different feeling,” Wright-Phillips said after the match. “I said it before the first time we ever played them, I want to be the first to score in this game. I don’t do it on purpose, it just means so much more to me when I’m out there. I want it, I want to get goals and I want to be remembered in the derby.”
There’s no denying that the Englishman will go down in history as one of the all-time greats in Red Bulls history, and his dominance over NYCFC has been eye-opening. Notching two more goals against New York City on Sunday, Wright-Phillips alone has outscored NYCFC over six matches, 8-5.
For his part, Kljestan was just as good, if not better. Bagging another two assists on the afternoon, Kljestan extended his lead atop the assist leader board—now up to 12—as he continues to thrive as one of the league’s top playmakers.
“I just think back to when I played for Chivas USA against the Galaxy. Landon Donovan always seemed to show up for those games, he always seemed to score, assist, or make a difference. For the most part Galaxy kicked our butts while I was there and a big factor was Landon Donovan. So in this series, I think Brad and I have just played a high level. We’ve been up for every game, we haven’t had very many bad games and our mentality has just been good.”
Eastern Ascension
For as important as these derby matches feel, they are still worth just three points. But the three points earned on Sunday sees the Red Bulls push further up the Eastern Conference table, now standing in second place.
“It’s huge for us to get three points to gain ground on them and Philadelphia,” Robles said. “We’re in the back end of the season now, so conference games are huge, especially at home. The ones at home are the ones that are vital to us to make sure we take three points.”
Following some late game collapses, the Red Bulls finished the match strong, tallying the only strike in the second half as they continue to climb out of their early 1-6-0 hole.
“This is a pivotal part of our season,” midfielder Mike Grella said. “It’s huge for the team’s mentality and confidence. This was really a game that was going to tell us how our season is going to go. Hopefully we can kick on from here. If we lose this game, we really have to look at ourselves and we’d find ourselves in a difficult situation, battling for the playoffs. Now we find ourselves still in the race for first.”
Facing Eastern Conference cellar dwellers Chicago Fire next week, the Red Bulls will have another chance to inch closer to the summit.
Derby Dominance
The New York Derby has seen some classic matches already, but with six matches in the books, there can be no denying that it has been quite one-sided.
Outscoring their opponents 18-5 over two seasons of competition, the Red Bulls have had enjoyed some memorable performances when facing off against NYCFC. Taking 15 of a possible 18 points from their matchups, the rivalry continues to develop into one of the league’s most heated.
“It has grown, but it's been there since day one,” head coach Jesse Marsch said. “I think that's what's been pretty awesome about it. I think, from the fan bases to the organizations to the players, I think that there's been a lot of energy and a lot of pride from both sides.
“Now that we're starting to build history and you're starting to see hatred, that's going to add to it for the next -- the upcoming games in years to come. So that's what makes rivalries. That's what makes derby matches. It's there. It's there.”
With their 2016 season series in the books, the Red Bulls can put NYCFC in the rear view for now, but there’s no denying that derby victories taste just a little bit sweeter.
“Obviously the game meant a lot to us in many different ways,” Kljestan added. “We lost the last one, so we wanted to make sure we won the season series while also moving ourselves up in the standings. That was the most important thing for me in the end.”
