Red Bulls-NYCFC rivalry marked by thriving stars
David Villa and Bradley Wright-Phillips were considered the aging faces of the first-ever Hudson River Derby.
Three years later, the stars, Villa for New York City FC and Wright-Phillips for the Red Bulls, enter Saturday’s latest installment at Red Bull Arena in their strongest form.
Villa, 36, is fresh off a two-goal performance, scoring his 400th and 401st career goals in a 3-1 win over FC Dallas last Sunday that improved NYCFC to 6-1-2 (20 points).
As for Wright-Phillips, he arguably has been MLS’ most unrecognized star this year. Beyond his heroic performance leading the Red Bulls (4-3-0, 12 points) to the CONCACAF semifinals, the 33-yearold forward has five goals and four assists in seven matches.
“One of the things that makes both of them so special is it’s not just the goal scoring, it’s all the work they do to be real leaders for their teams and to set the example,” Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said. “When you have your best player, your top striker, your superstar that is willing to do all the work, that is the most humble, that is the most committed to the team concept — my God does it make it easy for the coach.”
It also makes for entertaining soccer.
In the past three regular seasons, Villa (67 goals) and Wright-Phillips (63 goals) have combined to score 130 times, ranking first and second in MLS.
While the scoring production has remained the same, both players have evolved in other aspects. On the defensive end, Villa is averaging 1.2 tackles per game, according WhoScored. com. It is his highest tally ever in MLS. And WrightPhillips has surprisingly morphed from a striker into the Red Bulls’ playmaker, unlocking superb distribution.
While the Hudson River Derby retains its similar faces, it also has new young ones. NYCFC’s attack has benefited greatly from the additions of Jesus Medina, 21, and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, 24. On the other side, the Red Bulls have added flavor to its midfield with the 23-year old Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra in addition to homegrown midfielder Tyler Adams (19).
“Both teams are more energetic than they used to be,” said NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira, whose team won two of the three rivalry matches last year. “I think it’s going to be an open game.”