New York City FC vs NY Red Bulls: what is the Hudson River Derby?

The Big Apple’s two MLS teams battle it out for a place in the playoffs and the inaugural Hudson River Derby trophy.

Saturday’s Hudson River Derby brings together New York’s two MLS sides, New York City FC and NY Red Bulls, with local bragging rights and a place in the playoffs on the line.

NY Red Bulls, previously known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, were one of MLS’ founding teams in 1996 and have remained in the league ever since. For years they were the sole representatives from the United States’ biggest city; that changed in 2015 when New York City FC played their first MLS fixture against Orlando City.

In 2019 supporters from both sides of the New York soccer rivalry came together to found the Hudson River Derby Foundation, an initiative to help grow the game in the city. Saturday’s game between the two sides will decide who takes home the inaugural Hudson River Derby trophy.

Origins of the Hudson River Derby

Four years ago fans from the city’s most prominent supporter groups banded together to promote soccer in New York. RBNY fans from the Empire Supporters Group and Viking Army worked together with NYCFC-supporting The Third Rail to build awareness for the fixture.

They have resisted the temptation to search for corporate sponsors, deciding instead to rely on donations from the city’s burgeoning fanbase. However their efforts were disrupted by the covid-19 pandemic, which derailed league fixtures and put supporters’ plans on hold.

Fans from the three supporters groups persevered and this season they were able to launch the initiative in earnest. They created the Hudson River Derby Trophy, which will be awarded on an annual basis to the aggregate winner of the teams’ two regular season MLS fixtures.

The inaugural winners of the trophy will be decided by Saturday’s game at Yankee Stadium.

The battle for bragging rights in New York

In a city with countless other sports teams and limitless alternatives, soccer has to wrestle for prominence. But the global game is growing in the Big Apple and Saturday’s derby clash will be one of the league’s most widely-viewed fixtures this weekend. Fans of the teams involved will hope that victory against the local rivals can be the turning point in largely underwhelming campaigns so far.

Speaking to AS USA Danny Chediak, President of the Hudson River Derby Foundation, explained: “The Hudson River Derby definitely means a lot to our fans. No matter how our respective teams are doing, it tends to be the most intense games of the season.”

“Fans from both sides of the river look forward to this game as they end up being the most attended games,” said Chediak, a NYCFC fan who is also Vice President of The Third Rail.

RBNY came out on top in the first fixture between the two teams this season, meaning that they need just a draw to be crowned Hudson River Derby champions for 2023. However NYCFC will be hopeful of overturning the deficit in front of their home crowd.

Who will win the New York derby?

A derby game is always significant for supporters but this year’s has particular importance. New York City and NY Red Bulls are 12th and 13th respectively, with just a point between them.

NYCFC are four points adrift of the Wild Card playoff places, meaning that qualification is still possible for the winner for Saturday’s derby. For the loser, their hopes of making it to the post-season will be dashed by their local rivals. It looks set to be a fascinating games with playoff qualification on the line.

But, for NYFC fan Chediak, victory over the local rivals is reward enough.

“Being able to say ‘New York is Blue’ means a lot to NYCFC fans,” he said. “Like most diehards, I’ll be at Yankee Stadium for the match, praying that we beat the Red Bulls and have bragging rights for the year.”