New York City FC went into Red Bull Arena and punished their rivals, putting a historic 5-1 hurting on the Red Bulls in front of their home crowd.
This felt like a breakthrough moment for a New York City team thatâs been inconsistent and hard to get a read on for much of this 2024 season.
Theyâd gone nine MLS matches without a win and aren’t too far removed from being on the receiving end of their own lopsided beating at home at the hands of a rival, when Philadelphia Union came to Yankee Soccer Stadium and steamrolled Nick Cushingâs squad 5-1 on September 18.
That was arguably the seasonâs low point, but the performance three days later against Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi was improved, and offered glimmers of hope.
James Sandsâs at-the-death equalizer gave the team a potential moment to look back on and say, âThis was our turning point.â
The case for that Sands goal being a season-alterer got a lot stronger at Red Bull Arena in this commanding away derby win. This was a performance unlike any youâd seen before when a NYCFC team crossed the Hudson River to play the Red Bulls, their biggest margin of victory ever over their bitter rivals.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Away wins for NYCFC at Red Bull Arena have been rarities, and when theyâve occurred, theyâve been tooth-and-nail, tight affairs that hinged on one or two big moments and big goals, like a looping Ben Sweat header or a perfect connection between Santi RodrĂguez and Taty Castellanos.
Tonightâs humbling of the Red Bulls was something different, a signature, almost unheard-of performance from a Nick Cushing team while playing away from home. This wasnât a defensive-minded New York City looking to go into a shell and defend on the road, and maybe scrape a goal to earn one point max.
It wasnât clear that this NYCFC team would come out on the front foot, playing without their most consistent playmaker in Santi RodrĂguez, while also asking Justin Haak to deputize in at center-back while Strahinja TanasijeviÄ was suspended and Birk Risa wasnât ready to play a full 90 minutes.
From the jump, NYCFC was aggressive in its press and was all over the Red Bulls, forcing the home team into the kinds of mistakes and unforced errors that have at times plagued NYCFC in these derby matches.
Not even the lifeline goal the Red Bulls scored to halve NYCFCâs lead in the first half was enough to deter Nick Cushingâs team.
Rather than crumble at the first sign of adversity, New York City kept pushing at that Red Bull back line, and in turn kept expanding their lead. This was not going to be another one of those multi-goal leads that New York City let slip, not like in Cincinnati during Leagues Cup, or at Citi Field against Chicago Fire in the first post-Leagues Cup match.
This was a demon-exorcising win, and it arrives at a perfect time in New York Cityâs season. Questions can now turn from âWill they make the playoffs?â to âHow far can they really go in the playoffs?â
A performance like the one this team just delivered at Red Bull Arena can qualify as a âsignature winâ for the team and its somewhat embattled head coach, and can also hint at more to come.
Nick Cushing got his team to deliver a best-of-the-season performance in what was one of the most consequential Hudson River Derbies in the history of the rivalry, and it feels fair to ask if this is the start of something bigger at this late-season stage. Is another 2021-like run really possible with this team, and can they find their collective peak right as the playoffs begin?
Winning the way they did at Red Bull Arena will have New York City supporters believing itâs possible, but not even that magical 2021 season featured an emphatic derby win like this one.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Surprise performance with their backs against the wall. A character building win.
We’re not always good, but when we’re good we’re very good. The team’s future looks very bright for the next few years. Add some maturity to the young players and a superstar transfer window addtion, we could be a dominant team in MLS.
Exactly. This team is growing. It doesnât usually happen as fast as us average Joe fans prefer but with some patience it happens. We are undoubtedly better than we were last season and the nucleus of the team is intact. Good things to come
I’m not convinced we even need a superstar transfer addition. This squad is in really good shape, and once Malachi comes back from his injury next year, look out. Not that I wouldn’t welcome Gio home with open arms, of course. đ