This is what Major League Soccer wanted when they handed New York City FC an expansion place three years. The league body wanted to cultivate a rivalry in the United States’ biggest metropolis, harbouring hope that a new team in the Bronx would in turn spark the New York Red Bulls into life. There must be plenty at MLS head office silently smug with how things have turned out.
With the play-offs coming into sight and just a handful of regular season games left to be played the two New York clubs are fighting it out at the top of the Eastern Conference, with just a single point separating the rivals. There is a race for silverware in the East that was envisaged a long time ago.
So who holds the upper hand? New York City FC are the ones leading the pursuit at the moment, one point ahead of the Red Bulls, but are they really favourites to win the Eastern Conference title? After all, Jesse Marsch’s side are currently on a 10-game unbeaten run. They have found their groove at the right time of the campaign and are drawing in their city rivals at the top of the standings.
Patrick Vieira has forged NYCFC’s squad into a winning team this season, though, and he still possesses a number of weapons in the race to fend off the Red Bulls. David Villa is still NYCFC’s attacking hub, despite the breakthrough season of Jack Harrison and the improved form of Thomas McNamara this season. The former Barcelona and Valencia striker is averaging 5.1 shots per game over 2016, making him the second most productive forward in MLS.
Harrison’s contribution to NYCFC’s frontline shouldn’t be underestimated, though. The English forward is the club’s most prolific key passer, averaging 1.5 key passes per game. This has been a sparkling season for the 19-year-old and he has become a real asset to Vieira.
In Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard NYCFC have arguably the strongest midfield unit in MLS. The Italian has enjoyed a much better second season in the Big Apple, averaging 56.1 total passes per match. Alongside Lampard, who has scored a mightily impressive 11 goals from just 13 starting appearances this campaign and has far and away the best conversion rate (35.5%) of the 29 players to score five or more MLS goals this term, Vieira has plenty to work with the centre of the pitch.
But Marsch and the Red Bulls have a one-man midfield unit. Dax McCarty has once again underlined his quality this season, averaging 64.4 passes per game while also averaging 2.5 tackles per game, offering protection in front of the back four as well as providing drive going forward. McCarty doesn’t always receive the praise he deserves, but he has had his fair share of his plaudits over the past few months.
Both teams are largely possession-based sides, with NYC FC and the Red Bulls averaging a greater share of possession per match than their opponents. That is down to their respective strength in the centre of the pitch where they both like to control games.
On the basis of statistics, New York City FC are the more dangerous of the two sides in the attacking third, averaging 13.9 shots on goal per game compared to the Red Bulls’ 13.3 per game. Both teams are set up somewhat similarly, with presence in the centre of the field complimented by threat in the attacking areas.
Sacha Kljestan has been one of those players making the Red Bulls so dangerous in the final third, with the playmaker so impressive he has even forced his way back into the USA national team fold. The 30-year-old has made 12 assists in 24 starts so far this season and has become the Red Bulls’ creative force behind Bradley Wright-Phillips as the team’s central striker. It’s a partnership that has certainly worked this season.
In fact, the good fortune of both New York clubs can be illustrated by the race at the top of the goalscoring charts, with Wright-Phillips and Villa tied on 17 goals each. Those two players are spearheading their respective team’s challenge at the peak of the Eastern Conference and have come to embody what makes New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls so strong. Both sides are in action this weekend as the race continues to heat up. This is what MLS wanted all along.
Which New York side will come out on top in the Eastern Conference this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
