By Daniel Feuerstein | Bronx, NY | September 18, 2026
On what could be the final Derby Day match in the big ballpark in the Bronx, Red Bull New York drove over the Hudson River to take on NYCFC before they open their new home behind right field at Citi Field in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. It was another hard-fought match that saw the home side looking the better of the two in the first half until a horrible moment for the Blue side coughed up a bad ball and allowed a free shot to be converted. After the full 90 minutes came to an end, it was the Red Bulls earning the full three points as they took their goal and headed back to Harrison with a final score of one goal to nil.
Julian Hall finally scores from a gift of a pass
It was a harmless ball booted down the pitch by Mohammed Sofo as he tried to hit Julian Hall and spring him into an attacking run, but it fell to James Sands, who collected it and tried to pass it back to his goalkeeper, Matt Freese. Sands somehow misplayed the ball and didn’t put enough on the pass back, which allowed Hall to make a run towards the net. Freese came off his line to stop the unexpected chance outside his area, but Hall juked him and went a step to his right and shot it harmfully into the open net, finally breaking his 12-match goalless drought to convert his tenth of the season in the 57th minute.
Hall now becomes the fastest teenager in Major League Soccer History to score ten goals in a season. Not only did he score the only goal of the match, but Hall scored on his goalkeeper, who will join him and Adri Mehmeti on a plane to Fayetteville, Georgia, to the new U.S. Soccer Training Facility and prepare for training camp and their four-match adventure as members of the U.S. Men’s National Team, as head coach Mauricio Pochettino was in attendance watching his three players on Derby Day in New York City.
“It felt great. Obviously, I haven’t scored in a minute, so it was nice to get back to that feeling, and I’m just happy for myself and the entire team because we fought really hard to get that win,” said Julian Hall
Ethan Horvath stood on his head
From the first shot till the last, Ethan Horvath once again stood on his head, and he thwarted NYCFC with every single moment when they had their chances to put the ball away. He made all five saves from NYCFC’s five shots on goal. His footwork has improved, and his reflexes were on point, making several big left- or right-handed saves, but the one save he made was at the ready when he faced a point-blank shot in second-half stoppage time. Horvath, in this four-match road trip, has three clean sheets and has only allowed two goals in four matches. He has helped the club earn seven points out of twelve.
The new center-back tandem is solid
When Justin Che went down with a leg injury at Los Angeles FC, the next man up was the old dog from Long Island, Tim Parker. He was paired with Julian Bazan, and both players have been solid, putting out fires and hustling back to help Horvath shut down any attacks near his net. Parker, who hasn’t been used much this season, is ready to go out there and body off any chances that could hurt his club, and Bazan’s blocked shots inside the area were fabulous as well. You also see the fancy footwork from the young Colombian centerback to fake out and force his opponents to try and steal the ball from him, but no one has at this time.
NYCFC should’ve converted their chances
In the first half, NYCFC had the better of the chances. They had the advantage on possession and shots on goal. But once again, they couldn’t convert any chances in the match. Even when they were down a goal, they still had plenty of moments to get the equalizer, yet nothing was coming. Luighi had that glorious chance point blank, but somehow he steered the ball just wide of the far post and missed a chance to level the match. Even when Alonso Martinez did sub in, he wasn’t match sharp to put the ball away. Even with four minutes of second half stoppage time, NYCFC couldn’t get the job done.
“The only thing I can think of now is that we created these moments. They (the offense) got themselves into these positions. So, the quality of finishing is what needs to be better in these moments. Overall, if you look at the moments that we’ve created, the looks that we’ve had, we deserve more. But then you have to have clinical finishing in these moments, and we’ve been clinical in several other matches…But looks are not enough. So that is positive, but it’s not enough to win games. You have to put them (shots) in the back of the net,” said Pascal Jansen
The winless streak has ended
Going back to the 2024 season under Sandro Schwarz, Red Bull was on a five-match winless streak in the regular season. It went four straight matches without a win over the last two seasons, and earned a one-goal draw in the first half of this season till this big victory tonight in the Bronx. This was Michael Bradley’s first Hudson River Derby victory, and it was his side that finally got back in the win column. This victory was important to help the club officially get back over the playoff line, and right now, if the regular season ended this weekend, they would host NYCFC at Sports Illustrated Stadium in the Wild Card.
“It’s a big win. Really, really important three points when you get to the end of the year, and you’re coming down the stretch, and you play teams in your conference who are around you, could be a little bit above, could be a little bit below. Those become important points. So obviously you combine that with a derby, and it’s a big thing, so we’re really proud of the group. You get to the end of big games of derbies, and they can get turned on their head a little bit, and so obviously, down a goal, they’re going to do everything they can to push and throw numbers into the box. Generally speaking, I thought we defended quite well, but we still have a little bit of a tendency sometimes to give away a big chance or two from nothing. And so in this last period when that has happened, Ethan (Horvath) has been ready to make some big plays. He’s been there for the guys and us in the back, but in reality it’s the guys in the back and the midfielders and the attackers coming back. There are a lot of guys who make some big plays, some big blocks, some really hard reactions. That’s the sign of a real team,” said Michael Bradley
JULIAN HALL: Scored his 10th of the season, 13th in all competitions. Has 13 career MLS Goals
ETHAN HORVATH: Made five saves in his third clean sheet on the four-match road trip. Has four Clean Sheets this season.
Red Bull New York defeats New York City FC with one goal by Julian Hall to end a five-match winless streak.
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