The regular season resumed for NYCFC as the Playoffs edge closer. The Boys in blue haven’t had the best of records recently. But winning the Campeones Cup midweek gave everyone a good sensation ahead of Saturday’s fixture. The match itself had a lot more than bragging rights in play. A win for the Red Bulls extended the gap in points with NYCFC, leaving the Boys in Blue in a compromising position with only 6 points in play remaining. But NYCFC had other plans in mind, they were returning to their fortress and they were determined to keep the momentum going. With over 30K tickets sold prior to the match, the fans also played their part in the Hudson River Derby. A full house for the last regular season match in the Bronx was a proper way to support the reigning champions. A 90-minute match that determined if NYC was red or blue this season.
Back in business
Interim Headcoach Nick Cushing provided updates ahead of the Hudson River Derby. As expected, many names were not going to feature due to the small window of recovery. One of the names that surprised many was Maxime Chanot, who picked up an injury in a practice session. In addition, it looked like Luis Barraza would be given a chance to continue his momentum from Wednesday after having said Johnson would be out. I guess it was all part of a plan to confuse the rival since both Johnson and Chanot featured in the starting XI prior to kick-off. I think that despite how you look at it, the team was more than ready to face the city rival, whoever started was prepared to give everything on the field.
The game could have begun any better, a bit of a deja vu from Wednesday as Callens scored the first goal of the match within a minute of play. A slight touch by Santiago Rodriguez allowed Callens to header the ball into the net without anyone marking him. A goal scored so soon definitely changed the dynamics of the match. Allowing you to have control of the match knowing that the rival needs to respond as fast as possible. I don’t think anyone was expecting NYCFC to score so fast, but then again, we saw that midweek so we underestimated Callens to some extent. Luckily for those present, the defender would give an outstanding performance, so the goal was only the beginning. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Boys in Blue. The Redbulls took advantage of a bad clearance by the defense to place a cross inside the box 10 minutes in. Having the defense out of position, Johnson couldnt have clean control of the cross and left a dangerous rebound with the goal wide open. Callens would make a heroic clearance on the line to deny Luquinhas the equalizing goal for the visitors. Two key plays by Callens that made him the MVP of the match with 80 minutes left to play.
NYCFC continued to control the match after that scoring opportunity by the visitors. The team worked patiently on the play build-up, eventually paying off in the 22nd minute. Maxi executed another great corner kick that took a deflection from Callens. Fortunately, Gabriel Perreira was able to win the ball back and placed the ball inside the box once again. Santiago Rodriguez pushed the ball into the net after a quick control between the goalkeeper and the defender. Ironically I had a quick conversation about his scoring chances midweek. He assured me that the goal was coming so to see him score was great. Maxi Moralez had a good chance to score from a free kick shortly after, but it missed the target. The 36th minute would see the Red Bulls score from a cross, cutting the lead to one goal. In a game-changing moment, the VAR would have the goal overturned and restored NYCFC’s lead once again. It was a tense moment that surely would have changed the dynamic of the match. Callens celebrated it like a goal, but leaving to halftime with a 2-goal lead gave things a better perspective.
The Red Bulls came in aggressively for the second half. They quickly managed to have Nicolas Acevedo within minutes of play. They quickly followed it up by a quick play in midfield that allowed Lewis Morgan to leave Elias Manoel completely alone against Sean Johnson. The U.S. international, however, had another brilliant intervention after rushing out of goal quickly to prevent Manoel from shooting. While there was a rebound in favor of the rivals, they couldnt capitalize and the shot was off target. After that, the match went into energy saver mode for NYCFC. There were a few rough fouls from both teams that did end up with yellow cards but the Boys in blue cruised to victory. Maxi Moralez did have a great chance to seal the match with a goal during stoppage time, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper. Overall it was a perfect afternoon for NYCFC. A win with 3 vital points and a sold-out crowd, puts them in pole position for a possible home playoff match.
The team now heads into the international break only one point away from third place. If the team continues with the positive dynamic, the story in the playoffs could be different. After the match, Callens and Santiago both praised the massive amount of support.
“This victory is a reward for them, they stuck by us during our negative stretch of results.”
— Alexander Callens