On Saturday, MLS fans will be treated to the first Hudson River Derby of 2018 between New York City FC and New York Red Bulls with some good storylines heading into the game. Both David Villa and Bradley Wright-Phillps had typically good performances last time out and the pair of forwards will continue to battle for the right to be the King of New York.
David Villa's brace helped NYCFC hand FC Dallas their first loss of the season last week while BWP showed he can provide assists on top of scoring as his two assists helped RBNY top Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy in an entertaining 3-2 win.
Previous Meetings
Immediately fans of both sides are brought back to RBNY's 7-0 win at Yankee Stadium. Despite that, NYCFC has only lost to the Red Bulls once in MLS play since that infamous 2016 game. Last season, NYCFC grabbed seven points in three games with two wins and a draw.
First up was NYCFC's first win at Red Bull Arena as Ben Sweat grabbed an assist to a fabulous Jack Harrison finish before grabbing a goal of his own with a looping header. Next, it was David Villa who stole the show in early August as his hat-trick pushed NYCFC to a 3-2 win and a second consecutive victory vs their rivals.
Later that month, the Red Bulls equalized from the spot in the 70th minute to pick up their first and only point vs their noisy neighbors of 2017. Will the Red Bulls return to original Hudson River Derby results or will NYCFC bring last season's derby form into 2018?
Team News
New York Red Bulls: Three players will miss the game for the hosts on Saturday. First up is Kyle Duncan who tore his right ACL at the end of March. Connor Lade will also join him on the injury list as well as Marc Rzatkowski who has an undisclosed injury.
New York City FC: The visitors will have a pretty short injury list as just two players are listed as questionable while the rest are available for selection. Ismael Tajouri-Shradi is still yet to return after a hot start to the season while Ronald Matarrita is also listed as questionable with a lower-body injury.
What's Next?
For the Red Bulls, they'll be back on the road after hosting NYCFC on Saturday. First, they'll stop at Dick's Sporting Goods Park to take on the Colorado Rapids before heading to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face Atlanta United. Finally, they'll cap off the month of May at home as they host the Philadelphia Union.
Saturday's visitors will head to the west coast for a big game against LAFC as the new expansion side will host their third ever game at Banc of California Stadium. They'll then return home to host the Colorado Rapids before heading down south to play the Houston Dynamo.
How to Watch
When: Saturday, May 5 at 1:55 PM EST
Where: Red Bull Arena - Harrison, New Jersey
Broadcast: ESPN Deportes USA+, WatchESPN, ESPN, ESPN Deportes USA