Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Pascal Jansen is anticipating an “intense” and “emotional” Hudson River derby but expects his New York City FC side to find control against the New York Red Bulls.
NYCFC were on a seven-game winless run in MLS (D4 L3) but snapped that streak last weekend with a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
It was a much-needed victory for Jansen’s side, who sit eighth in the Eastern Conference, and remain in touching distance of the teams inside the automatic playoff spots.
The derby earlier this season ended in a 1-1 draw, but Jansen wants to walk away with all three points at Yankee Stadium, urging his players not to get too drawn into the emotional side of the match.
“We know it’s a derby. I’ve had a couple of those now and seen how my guys responded in those games,” Jansen said in his pre-match press conference.
“I think we’ve found quite a decent balance when we play against the Red Bulls, but we’re also very aware of what’s at stake.
“It’s emotional. It means a lot to our fans, to both sides. Obviously, that goes for the Red Bulls as well. It’s going to be an intense game no matter what.
“For us, it’s mainly about making sure that we keep a blue head, keep things under control and stick to the plan that we will make and make sure we get a good result after a good game against Salt Lake.”
The Red Bulls are just two places and two points behind NYCFC, and they know a win would likely lift them into the playoff spots.
They also ended a winless run at the weekend, having gone six without victory (D2 L4) before their narrow 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew, meaning NYRB are now chasing a second consecutive away victory.
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) September 16, 2026
Agustin Ojeda had assists on both of NYCFC’s goals against Real Salt Lake, the fifth different player with a multi-assist MLS match for the club this season.
That is tied for NYCFC’s most such players in a single regular season (five in 2016), while the only team with more such players in 2026 is Nashville SC (six).
New York Red Bulls – Ronald Donkor
All 17 of New York Red Bulls’ regular-season goals since the beginning of May have been scored from inside the box (including penalties).
Ronald Donkor scored the most recent, securing the win over the Crew, scoring with his only shot on the game and having just three touches in the opposition box.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW YORK CITY FC WIN
Since the beginning of 2024, NYCFC have won five of their seven meetings across all competitions against the Red Bulls (D1 L1).
That includes a current four-match unbeaten run (W3 D1), which is NYCFC’s longest against NYRB and tied for the longest by either team in the fixture’s history.
NYCFC have kept clean sheets in two of their three matches in September, including a 2-0 win over RSL last time out. Prior to this month, they had conceded at least once in nine straight MLS matches dating back to mid-May.
There have been two total goals scored in the Red Bulls’ last three matches (one for, one against). The two combined goals are tied for the fewest over a span of three regular-season games in their 31 MLS seasons (five previous such spans).
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