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New York City FC Vs New York Red Bulls: 3 things we learned – Drama, Drama, Drama

By Cameron Albert

HARRISON, NJ - JULY 14: Daniel Royer of New York Red Bulls celebrates with his teammates Cristian Casseres Jr and Sean Davis his goal from the penalty spot during the MLS match between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on July 14, 2019 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
HARRISON, NJ - JULY 14: Daniel Royer of New York Red Bulls celebrates with his teammates Cristian Casseres Jr and Sean Davis his goal from the penalty spot during the MLS match between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on July 14, 2019 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images) /
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HARRISON, NJ – JULY 14: Daniel Royer of New York Red Bulls celebrates with his teammates Cristian Casseres Jr and Sean Davis his goal from the penalty spot during the MLS match between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on July 14, 2019 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
HARRISON, NJ – JULY 14: Daniel Royer of New York Red Bulls celebrates with his teammates Cristian Casseres Jr and Sean Davis his goal from the penalty spot during the MLS match between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on July 14, 2019 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images) /

The first Hudson River Derby of 2019 goes the way of the New York Red Bulls. Here are three things we learned from New York City FC’s action-packed defeat.

Following a busy week, New York City FC traveled to Red Bull Arena to face the New York Red Bulls for the year’s first Hudson River Derby looking to regain their form. While both teams showed quality and room for improvement, it would be the hosts who walked away with all three points.

The battle between two Eastern Conference giants was high energy from the opening whistle, just needing seven minutes for the opening goal. Héber’s early strike wasn’t enough to send New York City into the break with the lead, however, after Daniel Royer leveled the game from the penalty spot. Controversy regarding a decision at the corner flag then granted the hosts a great opportunity to find a go-ahead goal in the 60th minute, which they duly took.

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Here are three things we learned from this derby that we won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

HARRISON, NJ – JULY 14: Héber, Maximiliano Moralez and Anton Tinnerholm of New York City FC celebrate Héber’s goal during the MLS match between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on July 14, 2019 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
HARRISON, NJ – JULY 14: Héber, Maximiliano Moralez and Anton Tinnerholm of New York City FC celebrate Héber’s goal during the MLS match between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on July 14, 2019 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images) /

3. A game of two halves

The visiting New York City FC side looked right at home in the first half of Sunday’s derby, controlling their rivals for nearly the entire 45 minutes.

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A seventh-minute goal scored by City forward Héber was just one of several opportunities Domènec Torrent’s men had to find the back of the net. The likes of Maxi Moralez and Keaton Parks were able to keep control of the ball from their opponents, moving the play up the pitch effectively along the way. Parks, who started his ninth game of the season, seemed unrivaled in the first half, showing his quality as a box-to-box midfielder.

The game’s 44th minute began the change of momentum in the favor of the Red Bulls. A penalty kick won by Red Bulls forward Brian White helped the hosts equalize prior to the break.

A goal just prior to the halftime whistle often changes a game’s energy. and this one was no exception. New York City FC were unable to put anything going forward after the break, often attempting to play balls from the backline directly towards forward players. The hosts took advantage of these unsuccessful attempts, creating counter-attack opportunities from them.

With the match now going their way, the Red Bulls went on to score a second, again from Daniel Royer. Despite its controversial manner, it would be the goal that separated these two sides.

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