It was a truly exhilarating affair at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, as NYCFC played host to New York Red Bulls with playoff hopes on the line for both teams.
You could practically taste the urgency from minute one of this heart-stopping clash, as the nearly 30,000 fans in attendance were treated to an absolute classic on what was a gorgeous September afternoon.
The match had pretty much everything you could ask for by way of narrative in the build up to kickoff. The Hudson River Derby alone is enough to get both sides up for the occasion, but the position of both teams in the table built up this affair even further.
With NYCFC sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference on 30 points and RBNY sitting 13th on 29 points, both clubs were in desperate need of a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
And, if post-season aspirations weren’t enough, there was even silverware on the line for both sides, with the newly minted Hudson River Trophy up for grabs on the day.
Naturally, both teams came out absolutely flying, with an incredible SEVEN shots taken in the first half (all by the Red Bulls). All told, the heavyweight bout boasted nearly 1.7 expected goals, which surely got the fans out of their seats.
Ultimately, the high-octane NYCFC offense was able to fire off their first shot after only 56 minutes of play, leaving the Red Bull back line positively helpless.
More impressive stats include a crisp 69% passing percentage for NYCFC and their free-flowing City Football Group soccer, which included 174 passes in their own half.
To pile on the attacking onslaught, $8million star boy Talles Magno was subbed on in the 90th minute to put the nail in the Red Bull coffin, and seal the 0-0 draw, secure a valuable point, and super-charge NYCFC’s playoff push.
The Pigeons will look to stay hot this Wednesday as they face Orlando, where they’ll look to secure another valuable point at home.