CHAPTER 1 NEW YORK TURNS BLUE In soccer tradition a match between two bitter rivals In soccer tradition a match between two bitter rivals particularly ones from the same city is called a derby particularly ones from the same city is called a derby Since beginning in 2015 the Hudson River Derby has proven Since beginning in 2015 the Hudson River Derby has proven to be one of the most heated rivalries in Major League to be one of the most heated rivalries in Major League Soccer MLS New York City Football Club FC joined the league in New York City Football Club FC joined the league in 2015 The team often called NYCFC plays at Yankee Stadium 2015 The team often called NYCFC plays at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx one of New York City's five boroughs The in the Bronx one of New York City's five boroughs The New York Red Bulls meanwhile had been founded in 1996 New York Red Bulls meanwhile had been founded in 1996 and play in Harrison New Jersey On July 3 2016 a crowd of 33,613 met at Yankee Stadium On July 3 2016 a crowd of 33,613 met at Yankee Stadium for the derby’s latest installment Most were dressed in for the derby’s latest installment Most were dressed in light blue the color of the home team A swath of red-clad light blue the color of the home team A swath of red-clad NYCFC forward David Villa right tries to get past New York Red Bulls defender Chris Duvall 4
The addition of Frank Lampard showed that NYCFC was eager to compete immediately Red Bulls fans took their seats in the upper deck The teams had only been rivals for a little more than a season but their fans already didn’t like each other As kickoff neared the fans sang and chanted eager to show the other side who was better They were playing for the pride of New York City 6
BAD BLOOD RISING Even before the first Hudson River Derby bad blood existed between the teams supporters Many Red Bulls fans believed NYCFC shouldn’t even exist After all New York City already had a team and it had been part of MLS from the start The Red Bulls originally known as the New York New Jersey MetroStars had been playing since 1996 the league's first season NYCFC also arrived in MLS with a lot of fanfare People were curious about this new team which was owned by the group that owned English powerhouse Manchester City Few MLS teams could match NYCFC’s star power with world-class players such as David Villa Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo on the roster NYCFC was also the first MLS team to play in the city The Red Bulls had always been based across the river in New Jersey All of that interest showed up in the box office Only two teams in 2015 drew more fans to their home games than NYCFC Their average crowd of 29,016 was nearly 10,000 more than the Red Bulls managed though it's worth noting that the Red Bulls played in a much smaller stadium Still NYCFC fans enjoyed the opportunity to tweak their more established rivals 7
