• Matchday 32: New York Red Bulls vs New York City FC
• Date and Time: Saturday, September 27, 7:30 pm ET
• Venue: Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, NJ
• Forecast: The tail end of a warm day, 71F/22C
• Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
• Apple Broadcast Team: Steve Cangialosi and Danny Higginbotham (English), Bruno Vain and Andres Agulla (Spanish)
• New York City FC Radio: Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence (English), Roberto Abramowitz and Ariel Judas (Spanish)
• Officiating Crew: Guido Gonzales Jr. (referee), Andrew Bigelow and Jason White (assistant referees), Cristian Campo Hernandez (fourth official), Kevin Stott (VAR), Mike Kampmeinert (assistant VAR)
• Kits: New York City will wear the sky-blue Excelsior Kit; Red Bulls will wear the black and red Legacy Kit
It's more than just Matchday 32, it's the 32nd edition of the Hudson River Derby, which has New York City FC crossing state lines to play New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Emotions always run high when these two teams meet, but there's more than bragging rights on the line this time. New York City are looking to bounce back from the 4-0 drubbing on Wednesday night at home by Inter Miami that saw them suffer their worst defeat of the season in front of more than 40,000 fans. NYCFC are gunning for a Top 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, and that means climbing the table with just three games left to play.
If they're going to get a result today, it will be without striker Alonso Martínez, who is sidelined with a leg issue. He isn't just the team's leading goalscorer, Martínez shapes how NYCFC play: His ability to run in-behind keeps the opposing defenders on edge and opens up space for the midfield. Head Coach Pascal Jansen will need to find a creative solution if New York City are to beat Red Bulls in New Jersey for just the fourth time in club history.
As for Red Bulls, they're on track to miss the playoffs for the first time in 15 years and bring their MLS-best qualification streak to an end. If they are to have any hope of sneaking into the postseason, they'll need to find a way to win tonight — and for this hit-or-miss squad to live up to their impressive home record of 10W-3D-2L so far this season.
Mark Radigan
New York City vs Red Bulls H2H, All Comps
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 11 | 4 | 16 | 34 | 49 | -15 |
Red Bulls not only decisively lead the head-to-head between these two clubs, they have more wins (16) and goals scored (49) against NYCFC than any other team in the league. It ain't even close.
New York City vs Red Bulls H2H, Regular Season
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 34 | 38 | -4 |
