First Hudson River Derby

First Hudson River Derby
Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, venue of the game
Event2015 Major League Soccer season
Regular season, Week 10
New York Red Bulls New York City FC
2 1
DateMay 10, 2015; 11 years ago (2015-05-10)
VenueRed Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey
Man of the MatchBradley Wright-Phillips, Striker
RefereeAlan Kelly (Republic of Ireland)
Attendance25,217
WeatherSunny
77 °F (25 °C)
62% humidity

In a Major League Soccer (MLS) game on May 10, 2015, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, the New York Red Bulls defeated the New York City FC, 2–1. The matchup, which was part of Week 10 of the 2015 Major League Soccer season, was noted by the press as the first encounter between the two teams from the New York metropolitan area, a rivalry that would later come to be known as the Hudson River Derby. The Red Bulls opened the scoring very early through striker Bradley Wright-Phillips, following a cross from the right flank by Lloyd Sam. However, they were forced to play with ten men from the 36th minute onwards after young center-back Matt Miazga received a indirect red card (two yellow cards). Despite this, Wright-Phillips extended the lead to 2–0 in the 52nd minute. New York City FC substitute Patrick Mullins later narrowed the deficit to 1–2, which proved to be the final score as no further goals were scored.

After that game, the two teams met twice more during the 2015 Regular season session, on June 28 and August 9, with the New York Red Bulls emerging victorious on both occasions. New York City FC failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing 8th in the Eastern Conference with 37 points, while the Red Bulls topped the conference with 60 points, securing a spot in the conference semifinals. Through their encounters in subsequent seasons, the two teams developed one of the most notable rivalries in MLS history, with their matches consistently drawing significant public attention within the metropolitan area.

Background

The 2015 Major League Soccer season is the 20th season of the Major League Soccer, the professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. The season featured 20 total clubs with 17 based in the United States and 3 based in Canada. The regular season was held from March 6 through to October 25, whereas the MLS Cup playoffs began on October 28 and ended with MLS Cup 2015 on December 6.

The 2015 MLS season featured the addition of two expansion teams, New York City FC and Orlando City SC. New York City FC became the second MLS team in the New York metropolitan area (joining the New Jersey-based New York Red Bulls), as well as the first based within New York City itself, as the team played its inaugural season at Yankee Stadium). Orlando was a new market for MLS, which returned to Florida for the first time since folding their Miami and Tampa Bay franchises before the 2002 season. The Lions' ownership previously owned Orlando's team that played in the league then known as USL Pro from 2010 to 2014; that team that relocated to Louisville for the 2015 season of the rebranded United Soccer League.

New York Red Bulls

The New York Red Bulls were founded in October 1994 and are one of the ten charter members of MLS. The team began play in the league's inaugural season in 1996 as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. During this early period, the club experienced significant instability, marked by frequent coaching changes and a lack of any championship titles. Notable achievements during this time included finishing at the top of the Eastern Conference and reaching the playoff semifinals in 2000, as well as a runner-up finish in the 2003 U.S. Open Cup. The team's worst performance during this era occurred in the 1999 season, when they earned only 15 points from 32 matches—the worst record in the club's history.

In 2006, the team was sold to Red Bull GmbH and re-branded as part of the company's global network of soccer clubs. The club name was changed to "Red Bull New York", with the team now referred to as the "New York Red Bulls" by the league and the media. The team pulled off a major surprise by reaching the MLS Cup 2008 despite finishing only 8th during the regular season, but they subsequently plummeted to the bottom of the standings the following season, managing a mere 21 points.

On March 20, 2010, Red Bulls' new stadium, Red Bull Arena (later Sports Illustrated Stadium), was inaugurated. The opening of the new venue, combined with the signing of several high-profile international players, such as Thierry Henry, Rafael Márquez, and Tim Cahill, helped the team improve its performance. The club maintained a consistent streak of appearances in the playoffs, highlighted by winning the 2013 Supporters' Shield and reaching the Eastern Conference final in the 2014 season.

New York City FC

The 2015 season is the first season of New York City FC in Major League Soccer, they played their home games at Yankee Stadium in the New York City borough of The Bronx.

MLS commissioner Don Garber announced the league's intent to award a second team in the New York area in 2010, with the new team originally aimed to begin operations by 2013. Initially, the league held talks with New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon about a second NY club and with owners of the rebooted New York Cosmos. The Wilpons' interest in MLS reportedly faded following the family's losses in the Madoff investment scandal, while the Cosmos began playing in the second-tier North American Soccer League in 2013. Manchester City, in association with the New York Yankees baseball team, paid the $100 million expansion fee to join the league. New York City Football Club, LLC was also registered with the New York State Department on May 7, 2013, and on May 21, the team was officially announced as the 20th Major League Soccer franchise.

On May 22, 2013, the club named former United States and Manchester City midfielder Claudio Reyna as its director of football operations, responsible for coaching staff and player recruitment ahead of the team's inaugural MLS season in 2015. Reyna, a New Jersey native, also played for the nearby New York Red Bulls. The team announced an English-language radio deal with WFAN on October 3, 2013. On December 11, 2013, Jason Kreis was announced as the first head coach of the new franchise, after declining to extend his contract at Real Salt Lake. The move came just four days after his squad's second-place finish in the MLS Cup 2013, losing on penalties to Sporting Kansas City. Kreis's tenure began with a trip to Manchester, England, to familiarize himself with the set-up of the franchise owners. Kreis' official unveiling was made at a press conference on January 10, 2014, where he made it public that his former assistant Miles Joseph had joined him at the club.

In the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, as an expansion team, New York City had the second overall pick, choosing Oregon State forward Khiry Shelton as their first pick.

Game summary

Aftermath

Officials

References

  1. ↑ Eric Giacometti (May 11, 2015). "New York Red Bulls 2, New York City FC 1 | MLS Match Recap". Major League Soccer. Harrison, New Jersey. Archived from the original on November 13, 2026. Retrieved November 13, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Past Weather in Harrison, New York, USA — May 2015". timeanddate.com. Retrieved November 13, 2026.
  3. ↑ "MLS announces new strategy for Los Angeles market, 2015 conference realignment". Major League Soccer. Los Angeles, California. October 27, 2014. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2026.
  4. ↑ "New York Red Bulls History – Team". NewYorkRedBulls.com. MLS Digital. April 4, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  5. ↑ "A Grand Opening Night". Bigapplesoccer.com. March 20, 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Henry goes to New York". Eurosport. July 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015.
  7. ↑ "New York Red Bulls sign Mexico National Team captain Rafa Marquez". New York Red Bulls. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  8. ↑ "New York Signs Midfielder Tim Cahill as a Designated Player". New York Red Bulls. MLS. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "Rare show of team unity underlines weight of pivotal New York Red Bulls win over Sporting KC". MLSsoccer.com. August 4, 2013. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  10. ↑ "MLS commissioner eyes possible New York franchise for 2013". mlssoccer.com. May 7, 2010. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  11. ↑ "MLS focused on making NY club its 20th team". mlssoccer.com. November 16, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  12. ↑ Bell, Jack (August 1, 2010). "Cosmos Begin Anew, With Eye Toward M.L.S." The New York Times. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  13. ↑ O'Brien, Seamus (July 12, 2012). "New York Cosmos Returns to NASL". nycosmos.com. New York City: New York Cosmos. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  14. ↑ Ozanian, Mike (July 5, 2013). "The Economics Behind New York's $100 Million MLS Team". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  15. ↑ Belson, Ken; Charles V. Bagli (May 21, 2013). "A Team Is Born, but Not All Cheer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Entity Information". NYS Division of Corporations, State Records and UCC. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Major League Soccer announces New York expansion team: New York City Football Club". mlssoccer.com. May 21, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  18. ↑ "New York City FC name Claudio Reyna director of football operations". mlssoccer.com. May 22, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Broadcast Deal with WFAN". nycfc.com. October 3, 2013. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  20. 1 2 "Jason Kreis named as Head Coach". nycfc.com. December 11, 2013. Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Jason Kreis Head Coach Press Conference". nycfc.com. January 10, 2014. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Khiry Shelton Joins NYCFC". New York City FC. January 15, 2015. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.