New York Derby Growing in Hate, but Not in Competitiveness After 2 Years

HARRISON, N.J.— The hate and passion are evident in the New York derby. 

All you have to do to realize that is look at the comments New York City FC boss Patrick Vieira made about New York Red Bulls manager Jesse Marsch after the Red Bulls’ 4-1 win at Red Bull Arena on Sunday. 

The former Arsenal midfielder accused Marsch of influencing the decisions of referee Mark Geiger due to comments he made during the week about refereeing in MLS.

“The referees, they all have the same rules,” Vieira said. “They all read the paper like everybody else so we’re talking about all of them. You get influenced by what you read and what you hear. And I don’t think it’s appropriate to come out in a week when there’s a derby and there’s a reason why you can not.”

“We just feel like we don’t ever get the benefit of the doubt,” Marsch said on Thursday, per Daniel Falkenstein of NJ.com. “I’m waiting for the referees, I’m waiting for anyone to recognize the fact that we have an honest team, that plays in an honest way, and gets punished for calls, for plays, for penalties, the whole bit, across the board and we hardly ever get rewarded.”

Marsch returned fire after the match on Sunday with his own criticism of Vieira. 

“He never said anything to me,” Marsch said. “That’s all I can say. He didn’t want to shake my hand in the hallway. I’ve seen this from him after the game before so it’s not a problem. I’m going to focus on us and I think the game was decided by players in every way.” 

The main talking point for the days to come will be Vieira’s rant directed at everyone but his players. However, the true focus should be on the one-sided nature of the rivalry and the problems that still exist in making the derby competitive. 

Over the last two years, the Red Bulls have outscored NYCFC 18-5 and earned a record of five wins and one loss. Forward Bradley Wright-Phillips has found the back of the net three more times than City have as a whole in 540 minutes of action. 

The two victories by the Red Bulls in 2016 were a 7-0 thrashing at Yankee Stadium on May 21 and Sunday’s 4-1 result. NYCFC came out on top on July 3 by a 2-0 score at home against a Red Bulls side weakened by three games in the span of eight days. 

Players and coaches on both sides will agree that the rivalry, and the bad blood the comes with it, have grown since the first derby contested at Red Bull Arena on May 10, 2015. However, the New York derby has a long way to go before it’s considered an actual rivalry. 

“It has grown,” Marsch said. “It’s been there since day one. I think that’s what’s pretty awesome about it. I think, from the fan bases to the organizations to the players, I think there’s been a lot of energy and pride from both …

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