NYCFC recorded an emphatic 5-1 victory against the Red Bulls on Saturday night. City enjoyed a dream start to the contest when they took a fifth-minute lead through Maxi Moralez. They would double that advantage 120 seconds later when Alonso Martínez latched onto a back pass that ran short and slotted the ball past Carlos Coronel. The Red Bulls would find the net themselves in the 28th minute through Dante Vanzeir before Andrés Perea restored City’s two-goal lead with an emphatic header two minutes later. City rounded out a brilliant first half with a fourth goal – Martínez scoring his second of the evening in emphatic fashion. City added a fifth goal in the 67th minute thanks to a brilliant curled effort from Tayvon Gray – his first goal for the Club. That would be the final goal on what was a memorable night for City – the 5-1 result representing City’s biggest win in Hudson River Derby history.
New York Red Bulls 1 NYCFC 5
Report by NYCFC.com
New York City FC traveled across the river for the Hudson River Derby on Saturday night.
Both sides were eager to claim all three points, with City knowing victory in Harrison would secure them a regular season double over their rivals for the first time since 2022.
Head Coach Nick Cushing was without Santiago Rodríguez and Strahinja Tanasijević for the game. Replacing them in the starting XI was Justin Haak and Andrés Perea.
First Half
A fast start to the contest culminated in a dream start for City as they claimed the lead in the fifth minute.
Arriving after Maxi Moralez pounced on a loose pass from goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, the veteran playmaker produced an emphatic finish low into the bottom corner to send the away fans delirious.
The visitors would double their advantage two minutes later after a backpass intended for Coronel ran short and was pounced upon by Alonso Martínez. The Costa Rican raced through on goal and calmly curled the ball past Coronel.
Cushing’s side almost made it three several minutes later after a clipped pass from James Sands found Martínez free in space – his subsequent effort crashing against the crossbar.
At the other end, a through ball from Cameron Harper almost allowed a teammate through 1-on-1 with Matt Freese, but he snuffed out the chance.
The Red Bulls would find the scoresheet in the 28th minute after City failed to clear a corner, and Dante Vanzeir converted from a tight angle.
A frantic half showed no signs of slowing down as City restored their two-goal lead two minutes after conceding.
The goal owed much to a great cross from Tayvon Gray that was met powerfully in the air by Perea to score.
City finished the opening half the stronger of the two sides, and that saw them make it four in stoppage time thanks to Martínez’s second goal of the night.
The move was started on the left by Keaton Parks, with his clever pass to Kevin O’Toole allowing the defender to put in a low cross for Martínez – the forward slamming the ball past Coronel to confirm an emphatic scoreline after 45 minutes.
Second Half
The hosts started the second half quickly and that saw Freese called into action early on to deny Cameron Harper – the winger’s fierce volley from a tight angle requiring Freese to parry the ball away from danger.
City were able to emerge from that pressure and almost made it five just after the hour mark when a perfectly timed through ball by Moralez put Martínez one-on-one with Coronel. The Costa Rican was able to get a shot away but saw his effort land just wide of the post.
Martínez would be subbed off to a standing ovation from the away end in the 67th minute as part of a double change. Joining him in leaving the game was Parks, with Mounsef Bakrar and Agustín Ojeda replacing the pair.
Those changes did not alter City’s momentum as they found a fifth goal a minute later through Tayvon Gray. The defender’s first goal for the Club saw him curl a low effort from the edge of the box into the bottom corner and past Coronel.
Cushing turned to his bench again in the 79th minute to introduce Birk Risa in place of Moralez – the playmaker’s outstanding performance seeing him cheered off by the traveling support. Risa would be joined on the field by Julián Fernández in the 85th minute after he replaced Hannes Wolf.
City continued to push and hassle their opposition right up until the last second, with the sound of the referee’s final whistle confirming a historic 5-1 victory for City – the biggest in Club history during a Hudson River Derby.
Next Game
New York City is back home to face off against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, October 2 at 7:30pm ET at Red Bull Arena, New York. Broadcast: Apple TV | Radio: nycfc.com/radio
