The New York Red Bulls (14-9-8, 50 pts.) head to Yankee Stadium to battle rivals New York City FC (13-11-7, 46 pts.) on Saturday, September 17 at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET with coverage on MSG, MSG GO, and New York Red Bulls Radio in English and Spanish via TuneIn, the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.
Get to know who the Red Bulls will be playing in their upcoming matchup.
How They’re Doing
NYC was setting the league alight from April to the end of July, only losing once in 18 league games.
The club looked fully set to contend for a second consecutive MLS Cup. Those goals are still attainable, but since star striker Taty Castellanos departed the club on July 25, NYC has only one win in their last 10 matches.
That streak includes only one point from their last five matches, which has seen them drop from second to fourth in the Eastern Conference and four points below the third-place.
NYCFC has had three home matches since the end of July, but none of them have been at Yankee Stadium. Two of them have taken place at Red Bull Arena, both losses, and one has taken place at Citi Field, a draw against Cincinnati.
The defending MLS Cup champions will look to get their season back on track against their New York Derby rivals.
Head-to-Head History
The Red Bulls have historically controlled the series, falling just seven times in 22 meetings and racking up 13 wins.
Last time out, however, New York City dealt the Red Bulls a 1-0 loss at Red Bull Arena. It was only the second time since NYCFC was founded that they beat the Red Bulls on the road.
Of the 23 total matchups between these New York Derby rivals, the home team has won 15 of them.Â
Player to watch – Goalkeeper Sean Johnson
The major absence when the Red Bulls ousted NYCFC from the Open Cup back in June was Sean Johnson.
In Johnson’s return on July 17, he shut down the Red Bulls attack in NYCFC’s 1-0 win at Red Bull Arena
The 2021 MLS Cup MVP has a league-best 13 clean sheets. He was named to the 2022 MLS All-Star team, the first-ever all-star selection for the 13-year league veteran.
Lately, it’s been a struggle for the goalkeeper and the New York City defense. They have only kept one clean sheet in their last nine matches.
Johnson has played with NYCFC dating back to the 2017 season. He played seven years with the Chicago Fire prior to joining City.
