In what promises to be the biggest-ever Hudson River Derby, New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls will square off in the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Saturday at Citi Field. It will be the first time these arch-rivals face each other in the MLS Cup playoffs after the Boys in Blue ousted FC Cincinnati in round one on penalties, while the Red Bulls stunned the Columbus Crew in a shootout as well. © Imago It felt as though their series with Cincy would never end, but at the end of the day, the Pigeons held their nerve from the spot and were aided by some heroic goalkeeping.
New York City missed three opportunities to win their game three shootout against the 2023 Supporters' Shield winners before finally prevailing 6-5 after the game finished 0-0 in normal time. Saturday will mark their first appearance in the second round of the playoffs since 2022, with New York City winning their last two games at this stage of the post-season. Nick Cushing has been through a whirlwind of ups and downs this season as the head coach of this team, but with a victory this weekend, he would become the first manager in club history to qualify for two Eastern Conference finals.
NYCFC have a 100% record in the playoffs at Citi Field, winning both encounters in convincing fashion by a combined margin of 6-1. In 2024, they swept their regular-season series against the Red Bulls, claiming a 2-1 triumph in Queens and winning 5-1 at Red Bull Arena. © Imago The Red Bulls pulled off arguably t.