In a hotly-contested edition of the New York Derby, the New York Red Bulls blitzed their local rivals in the second half for a 3-0 win to advance to the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
After a scoreless first half, the Red Bulls earned a free kick in the 52nd minute. Tom Edwards delivered a ball to the back post, where Aaron Long headed it back to the top of the six-yard box for Morgan to tap it home.
It was one of three goals scored by Morgan in the Open Cup tournament, and one of seventeen scored across all competitions in 2022.
New York doubled their lead thanks to a crafty finish from Luquinhas. The Brazilian attacking midfielder received a rebound inside the box, took a few touches past the keeper and blasted it into the corner in the 70th minute.
Luquinhas' goal was one of seven for the season for the Red Bulls. The Brazilian midfielder would end 2022 with 16 goal contributions in his debut MLS season.
The victory was capped when a cross from Cameron Harper found Omir Fernandez to make it 3-0 in second half stoppage time.
It was the second goal against NYCFC for the Bronx native.
"When people come into this house and try to say they're better than us, it always hits different for me to play these games," Fernandez said.
A rabid Red Bulls crowd went home happy with another rivalry win at Red Bull Arena, the tenth home win in franchise history against NYCFC.
"Shout out to all the fans," defender John Tolkin said. "They brought the noise the whole game. You got to give them a lot of credit for that win as well."
The rivalry win secured the team’s first trip to the last four of the oldest cup competition in United States soccer since 2017.
