The New York Red Bulls Paint the Metropolitan Area in Red

May 15, 2023

Heading into this matchup, the New York Red Bulls (2-6-4) have faced a ton of adversity and turmoil within the past few months. Most recently, the firing of their former head coach Gerhard Struber and being replaced with interim head coach Troy Lesesne. In his head coaching debut, Lesesne managed to help guide the Red Bulls to victory in the Hudson River Darby matchup against longtime rivals New York City FC (4-3-5), 1-0.

“I feel like this has been a challenging week for everyone, so I would really like to say thank you to them,” Red Bulls HC Lesesne said in the post-game press conference.“Certainly, the players, the players have been incredible with how they have been able to onboard some new information and onboard new ideas and deal what challenging week.”

“I think they have dealt with some challenging times, maybe not even in the course of just this year, but just over the last few years where they want to get reconnected with the club, and again, thank you,” Lesesne continued.

This matchup between both clubs has been a longtime rival because of the battle of New York City and the metropolitan area. In this series, the Red Bulls lead 14-8, along with three draws sprinkled in. For many, this matchup means a lot and is an opportunity for both teams to scream at the top of their lungs to support their side of the water. On Saturday night, the stadium appeared to have a ton of energy and made for an exciting atmosphere for the players and coaches.

“It means a lot. Every time we go into these games, I try to score whether I start the game or come off the bench,” Red Bulls Midfielder Omir Fernandez expressed how important these games are to him. “It means a lot to me honestly, I talk about these games with my family and friends all the time so to get a goal and be the difference today was really great.”

The New York Red Bulls Persevere Through Rigorous Moments

At the start of the match, the Red Bulls appeared to be feeding off the energy of the stadium as they were flying all over the field. The energy and pace the Red Bulls were playing were unstainable for the duration of the game, however they definitely set the tone. The majority of the game was played in the counter attack as both goalies played an exceptional first half.

“With rivalry matches, anything could happen,” Red Bulls goalie Carlos Coronel. “Today we did well, defensively we did well. New York City plays a lot and usually, we push forward but today we stayed back to let them play. We have things to improve but we won today, and it gave us encouragement.”

This match was a hard-fought and tough match because of how similar these two teams are to one another. These clubs are both very inexperienced and young, however they’re loaded with potential and their ceilings are through the roof. The chemistry between the Red Bulls will continue to grow over time and now they have new energy which may expedite the process.

“I think he brings his own energy,” Fernandez continued. “I think he's trying to rally us up and be more together in moments like this. I think we've got to give credit to the players and Troy as well for coming together on such quick notice and getting results.”

A Step in the Right Direction for the New York Red Bulls

Thanks to Fernandez, finding the back of the net at the 76-minute mark, ultimately giving the Red Bulls the 1-0 lead to secure the victory. Ironically, the ball wasn’t intended for him, but it found him anyway, which he converted with a dagger to the top left corner of the net.

Bronx-born Omir Fernandez put it top bins in the Hudson River derby 😮‍💨

(via @MLS)pic.twitter.com/Rbx73M0cbq

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 14, 2023

This was a defining moment of the new era of Red Bulls soccer and many hope to use this momentum and build on it going forward as they hope to turn this season around.

“I think both performances against DC and tonight showed that this team is headed in the right direction,” Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman emphasized.