Saturday's 3-2 win by New York City FC over the New York Red Bulls secured a second straight Hudson River Derby title for the Boys in Blue and all but eliminated RBNY from MLS Cup Playoffs contention.
But things turned ugly after the final whistle, when New York Red Bulls defender Raheem Edwards allegedly had racial epithets directed at him from his own supporters.
Both the New York Red Bulls and Torcida 96, the supporters’ group alleged to have used the abusive language, have released statements addressing the incident.
"We all heard them"
Following the Red Bulls loss, members of the home team were seen walking around the edge of the field thanking fans for their support. This included RBNY defender Raheem Edwards, who gave his shirt to a young fan.
According to multiple accounts, Edwards saw that fans in the South Ward Supporters' Sections, the three lower bowl sections behind the southern goal, were flipping him off. The defender approached the fans centered in Section 133, the seating area used by Torcida 96.
The following timeline is pieced together from multiple video recordings of the incident, as well as testimony from fans in the stands.
Edwards approached the section, and was initially held back by Red Bulls keeper Carlos Coronel before pointing into the stands asking "What?" Edwards then began to argue with fans standing on the outer track of the stadium behind the advertising wall, as well as fans sitting in Section 133.
The exact conversation between Edwards and the fans is unclear. Edwards is seen arguing with a fan wearing a Torcida shirt and hat, then points to the stands and asks other fans, "What did you say?"
Fans in Section 133 started yelling at Edwards. Multiple Red Bulls players rushed toward the scene, with Edwards pointing out one fan in particular. Members of Sports Illustrated Stadium security also pointed out a particular fan sitting in Section 133.
As a member of the Red Bulls media team began asking some fans and photographers standing on the stadium track to step back, a member of Torcida screamed "We are not backing up.” Video footage shows members of Torcida sitting on the edge of the stadium wall, yelling at Edwards, with one jumping over the wall and onto the stadium track.
Eventually, Edwards, who joined the Red Bulls ahead of the 2025 season as a free agent after playing with CF Montréal, headed towards the locker room.
Video confirmation
New York Red Bulls reporter for The Shot Magazine James Birle, one of the first media members to share video of the incident following Saturday's game, confirmed the use of discriminatory language via a source in the crowd.
"Multiple sources who were in the South Ward revealed to me a list of three racial slurs/insults they overheard directed at Edwards," Birle posted on X. "One of the sources claims to have been physically threatened by the alleged abuser after the fact."
One of the sources went on to say, "We all heard them."
Video from within the South Ward shows New York Red Bulls defender Raheem Edwards arguing with fans and his own teammates following Saturday's loss to New York City FC | Video originally posted by @RBNYJAKE on X
Video obtained by Hudson River Blue shows fans yelling both "puto" and "gay" towards Edwards, but who said the words is not clear. Dave Einhorn, a board member of the Empire SC supporters’ group, confirmed that members of his organization heard slurs, and that there were "slurs directed towards (our) membership."
Additional video from with the South Ward, showing fans berating Raheem Edwards after Saturday's loss with homophobic slurs being heard in the recording | Credit: Dave Einhorn
Afterwards, the New York Red Bulls sent the following statement to members of the media before releasing it to the public:
The club is aware of an incident following our match on Saturday night.
We are investigating the matter at this time.
The New York Red Bulls stand behind our players and always look to make the stadium a safe environment for all.
Torcida's history
Established in 2021, Torcida 96 is the youngest of the three main New York Red Bulls supporters’ groups. According to the group's website, it takes its image from the terrace culture of Europe and South America.
"Our mission is clear: To inspire and energize our players, and strive to elevate the ambiance of our stadium on match days, transforming it into a genuine fortress for our team. Our vision is to grow our community by embracing like minded individuals who share the same love and dedication to the club that we do. Everyone is welcome to actively support the boys in RED with us in Section 133."
Unlike the two older supporters’ groups, Empire Supporters Club and Viking Army SG, Torcida is not officially recognized by the club. This means that the group isn’t included in official events and doesn't have early access for away matches in visiting supporters’ sections.
This unofficial distinction comes, in part, because of Torcida's multiple instances of alleged violence surrounding matchdays.
Some of those involve previous Hudson River Derby games. In 2023, following a New York City Leagues Cup Round of 32 loss to the Red Bulls, a clash between fans of both teams spiraled outside of the stadium in Harrison and into the parking lot. Members of the Third Rail alleged that Red Bull fans dressed in black, the typical attire used by Torcida, jumped fans exiting the away end after the match.
The leadership and members of Torcida have adamantly denied any involvement in this incident since. However, the group was placed on probation by the front office, halting any chance of becoming "recognized" for the foreseeable future.
The aggression also applies to fellow supporters’ groups. Last December ahead of the MLS Cup Final against Los Angeles Galaxy, a now-former Torcida board member instigated a shoving match that nearly came to blows with other RBNY supporters’ group capos during the march into Dignity Health Sports Park.
Following last night’s game, Torcida released the following statement on Instagram:
Torcida 96 unequivocally denies any racial slur was used in the altercation that took place between anyone in section 133 and Raheem Edwards following RBNY’s loss to NYCFC. The criticism of the team was based solely on the on-field performance in a derby that also had playoff implications. Several players came to 133 at the end of the match, and we appreciate that dialogue with the team. However, Edwards was combative from the moment he came to the front of 133, and while we don’t deny that words were exchanged, those words were never personal and never included race. Torcida 96 has a zero tolerance policy toward: racism and discrimination in any form and believes matches should be a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
