New York City FC avenged one of the worst beatings in MLS history, and won their first game against the rival Red Bulls, 2-0, in front of 33,613 on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. And it was teen rookie Jack Harrison that led the way, scoring the first goal and setting up David Villa for the second.
Their season-high third straight win also leapfrogged NYCFC (7-5-6, 27 points) over Philadelphia and Montreal into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Despite a star-studded $20 million payroll that includes Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo, NYCFC had lost all six of its previous derby games. They’d been eliminated from the last two U.S. Open Cups by the Cosmos, and were 0-4 against the Red Bulls, including a 7-0 loss on May 21 that tied the worst rout in league history and stuck in NYCFC’s craw.
“We had the bit between our teeth today. We wanted to win. They enjoyed their win here — possibly too much — after the last game around the dressing room, and we answered them this time,’’ said Lampard.
“I was kind of looking to get some revenge for what happened last time,’’ said Harrison, 19, who scored off a Pirlo corner in the eighth minute, eluding a pair of defenders and ripped a shot that trickled underneath goalkeeper Luis Robles.
NYCFC — which had been an MLS-worst 2-3-5 at home in the cramped confines of Yankee Stadium — turned the tables and harried the Red Bulls, winning 57.8 percent of their duels. Felipe’s missed 63rd minute header was the visitors’ best chance, but he couldn’t erase the lead. And three minutes later, Harrison helped Villa double it.
Lampard showed some nice touch to get by two defenders and spring Harrison down the right flank on a devastating counterattack. The young Brit played a perfect cross to Villa, who needed just a simple toe-poke for his MLS-leading 12th goal of the year — and first in five tilts against the Red Bulls.
Now it’s the Red Bulls (7-9-2) — who saw Chris Duvall sent off in the 79th — who are out of form and on a four-game winless skid. They’d coughed up late goals in the first three, but on Sunday they were outplayed from the start.
“They wanted it more, and they showed it on the field,” said Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch. “They changed things on defense to make it harder on us. We weren’t able to threaten the goal enough. … They wanted it bad. The way this series was going, they weren’t happy. Their whole team seemed to pour its heart out on the field.”
Pirlo acknowledged as much.
“This was an important match for us,” Pirlo said. “We had to make up for the loss last time. We played with more passion and determination.”
Duvall will miss the next Red Bulls game, as will Aurelien Collin (yellow card accumulation). Rehabbing Damien Perinelle said he hopes to play 60-70 minutes in Wednesday’s friendly against Club America.
