With a light rain falling in Queens, New York and a crowd of mostly New York City FC fans in attendance the first part of the 2024 Hudson Rivery Derby took place.
When the first whistle sounded those wearing the colors of the Boys in Blue got the chants going early and often for the guys and the play responded accordingly with an enthusiastic effort by the team.
Finding the right combination early NYCFC gained an early lead thanks to Hannes Wolf, as he tallied a left-footed shot from the center of the box on an assist by Malachi Jones and Santiago Rodríguez.
Wolf is putting in some impressive numbers with the Boys in Blue as he has four goal contributions (2G, 2A) in three consecutive matches.
With a somewhat steady but not heavy conditions both teams showed the quality of play that fans can expect during the 2024 MLS Season with some incredible play.
The New York Red Bulls tallied up the night with a goal in the extra time by Cameron Harper on an assist by Sean Nealis.
For Cameron the goal was his third MLS goal of the season, which sets a new single-season career high in goals scored. scored seven career MLS goals.
Fans are encouraged to give a view of the following photo gallery from the 2024 Hudson River Derby:
As the second half of the match got started there were a ton of subs by both squads, as fans got to see NYCFC and Red Bull favorites appear in the Derby. Subs included Mounsef Bakrar and Emil Forsberg.
Both saw some positive minutes on the pitch, including the play by Bakrar as he gave the Boys in Blue a 2-1 edge on a right footed shot from the center of the box.
For those that follow New York City FC have heard from Head Coach Nick Cushing how it is just a matter of time before Mounsef started to find his scoring groove with the team. The forward is creating some bold chances when it came time for trying to find the back of the cage.
It was a great way for Bakrar to be able to find the first goal of the 2024 MLS regular season, as it lifted a little bit of the pressure from him along with helping the team to the victory.
From there it was the play of the Boys in Blue, including that of Matt Freese that got the team the huge three points at Citi Field. It was a battle of the New York Goalkeeper as Carlos Coronel also put on a show.
Some of the other impressive stats from the NYCFC PR Department are the fact that defender Tayvon Gray tallied the first assist of the season. Santiago Rodríguez is continuing to put in some great numbers with the guys as he has goals in the last three.
As for the Red Bulls there were a ton of things to be impressed on as they are going to be a team to watch for.
The milestone moment for the franchise came on behalf of Nealis as he reached the 10,000 MLS minute mark, along with making his 120th career appearance with the team.
Up next for the Red Bulls is a home match at Red Bull Arena against Charlotte on Wednesday, May 29 with the start of the action scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
With the victory the Boys in Blue are now in third place in the Eastern Conference, but have themselves a tough task ahead of them as they go on the road to take on the New England Revolution on Saturday, Maty 25 with the start of the match scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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