NEW YORK — It took five tries, but New York City FC finally got one over its local rival New York Red Bulls.
Led by Jack Harrison’s goal and assist, NYCFC defeated the Red Bulls for the first time since joining MLS last season with a 2-0 win on Sunday in front of 33,613 at Yankee Stadium.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft got his side on the board early in the eighth minute.
With Andrea Pirlo taking a corner kick on the left side, Harrison made a charging run on the Italian’s cross to the far side of the box before flicking the ball past both Mike Grella and Sacha Kljestan on his second touch. The 19-year-old winger then fired a shot that beat Luis Robles with defender Connor Lade seemingly blocking the goalkeeper’s vision.
Harrison then helped double his side’s lead in the second half when he set up Villa’s score with a nifty cross in the 66th minute.
After receiving a long pass from Frank Lampard and making a run down the right flank, Harrison curled a rolling ball that wrapped around two Red Bulls defenders before finding Villa for the tap-in.
It was the NYCFC captain’s first goal in the New York derby and his MLS-leading 12th goal on the season.
Red Bulls found few chances to get back in the game in the second half and things only got worse for the visitors when defender Chris Duvall was sent off on a straight red in the 79th minute for a high tackle on Pirlo.
The win for City helped avenge a 7-0 shellacking at the hands of the Red Bulls on May 21 at Yankee Stadium, which tied for the largest margin of scores in an MLS match. The Red Bulls had held a 14-2 scoring margin coming into the contest but its win over NYCFC this season remained the defending Supporters’ Shield winners’ lone victory on the road in 2016.
NYCFC, on the other hand, picked up its second straight home victory after going 1-3-5 to start the season. It now temporarily leads the Eastern Conference by one point at 27.
NYCFC will now begin a four-match road trip beginning Wednesday at New England before finishing at Red Bull Arena on July 24. The Red Bulls, meanwhile, will host the reigning MLS Cup champions Portland Timbers on July 10.
MAN OF THE MATCH
The brilliance by Jack Harrison was on full display again on Sunday. Apart from being responsible for both goals, the rookie was also involved heavily in several other chances for NYCFC while being active on defense.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
David Villa’s goal in the second half symbolized a sigh of relief for the home fans. The Spaniard had not scored in a derby match and the two-goal lead seemed enough at the time to give NYCFC its first win over the Red Bulls.
MATCH TO FORGET
Although Chris Duvall wasn’t the lone Red Bull who struggled against NYCFC’s attack on Sunday, his reckless challenge on Andrea Pirlo in the 79th minute that led to a straight red wiped away any chances for the visitors to get back into the game.