photo by Noah K. Murray/USA Today Sports
By FRANCO PANIZO
There was immense hype going into the first game between the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC, and the highly-anticipated match did not fail to deliver.
The Red Bulls defeated NYCFC, 2-1, on Sunday in a thrilling and intense match that surely had several at MLS headquarters licking their chops at what this derby could become. The way the two clubs and their trash-talking fan bases tried to go at each other throughout the 90 minutes made for great theater inside of a sold-out Red Bull Arena, and made the point that this could be the start of the league’s best rivalry.
While the New York derby garnered much of the attention this week, there was plenty of other noteworthy things that transpired across MLS. Toronto FC continued its frustratingly inconsistent ways with a home loss to the Houston Dynamo, and Real Salt Lake once again got impressive contributions from one of its shining youngsters.
Here are SBI’s thoughts after Week 10 in MLS:
RED BULLS-NYCFC HAS THE MAKINGS TO BECOME MLS’S MARQUEE RIVALRY
A packed house, goals, drama, a sending off, and a few shoves and shouts. The New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC history is off to a great start.
The first episode between the Red Bulls and NYCFC had it all on Sunday, and it demonstrated that this derby could blossom over the years into MLS’s marquee rivalry. While there are several quality rivalries in the league – from those in Cascadia to Red Bulls-D.C. United – there is not one that truly captures a global audience. But the New York derby could be it if Sunday’s 2-1 Red Bulls’ victory is anything to go by.
Well before kickoff at Red Bull Arena there was a feeling in and around the stadium that this was a big game. There might not have been any history between the two clubs, but bragging rights were up for grabs and that is plenty important in place like New York.
Both clubs’ fan bases came out to represent and there were a lot more red shirts than usual being worn by the home supporters as if to say that, “New York was indeed red.” Inside the stadium, a boisterous contingent of 1,200-plus NYCFC supporters were greeted by an even louder South Ward and a trio of smack-talking tifos.
All that emotion carried over into the game, and you could feel the tension as soon as the ball began to roll. The opposing fans chanted songs at one another, almost every call felt like a big one, and the stadium rumbled every time someone got into the final third.
“For sure (this is the making of a rivalry),” NYCFC midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy told SBI on Saturday. “When we have two, three, four games and a couple of red cards and two fights then we talk about the rivalry.”
No need to wait that long. It’s already begun.
KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON REAL SALT LAKE’S ALLEN THIS SUMMER
Several U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team players are seeing first-team minutes with their MLS sides this season, but one player that is worth keeping close track of right now is Real Salt Lake’s Jordan Allen.
Fully recovered from the microfracture knee surgery that cut short his rookie season in 2014, Allen is impressing in a big way with RSL these days. The 20-year-old Allen not only carved out a starting role in the club’s two games this past week, but he also looked like one of Salt Lake’s best players with his willingness to go at defenders and ability to combine with teammates.
He really stood out in Real Salt Lake’s scoreless draw with the LA Galaxy last Wednesday, but that only served as a sign of things to come. Allen recorded a pair of neat assists just three days later, helping Jeff Cassar’s side pick up a 2-1 road win over the Chicago Fire that snapped a five-match run without a victory.
Allen will soon leave for international duty to prepare for the upcoming U-20 World Cup, but he will be worth keeping an eye on in New Zealand and when he returns to Real Salt Lake.
VANNEY STRUGGLING TO GET IT RIGHT WITH TORONTO FC
Toronto FC was playing its first home of the season on Sunday. It was supposed to be the start of a good run for the club
It was anything but that.
Toronto FC opened the doors to a renovated BMO Field on Sunday, but instead of delivering a win in front of its energetic home crowd, the club continued it inconsistent ways by suffering a 2-1 loss to the equally unpredictable Houston Dynamo.
The Dynamo had already jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the big-spending hosts even found the back of the net in the 77th minute through Jozy Altidore, leaving for questions to be asked of Greg Vanney. The Toronto FC head coach was always going to be in the spotlight this year for the good or bad job he did with the club, but right now things just are not clicking on a consistent enough basis.
Vanney needs to find a way to address the seemingly never-ending defensive issues that Toronto seems to have, and he also has get the trio of Designated Players in Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley and Sebastian Giovinco even more involved. Right now, the club is still on pace to make the playoffs, but it is expected to do more than just reach the postseason with the talent it possesses.
That falls on Vanney’s shoulders, and right now he’s just not cutting it.
ORLANDO CITY’S TROUBLING HOME WOES CONTINUE
Orlando City may have salvaged a point at home with a dramatic last-gasp header from Aurelien Collin on Friday, but the club still has yet to win at home.
Orlando City clawed back from two (self-inflicted) goals down to grab a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution and avoid another disappointing defeat at the Citrus Bowl on Friday. While most of the talk after the match was about Orlando’s character and attitude, what was overshadowed was that the club has yet to pull out a victory in front of the sizable crowds that continue to turn out to support it.
The Lions are now 0-2-3 when playing at home, which is something they need to drastically improve in the coming weeks and months if they are to have any shot at being the kind of playoff team that head coach Adrian Heath envisions them being.
Getting Kaka some help would be a start, but the defense also needs to cut out its habit of making key mistakes. Orlando City is also lacking in the grind-it-out department, which needs fixing if it wants to start winning tight games – any games – at home.
One other interesting note from this match was that Rafael Ramos returning to his starting right back spot for Orlando City, a baffling development given the red card he received for the retaliation tackle he committed against Columbus Crew defender Waylon Francis on April 18. How Ramos wasn’t banned for more than the customary one game is shamefully shocking and shows a lack of consistency from the MLS Disciplinary Committee.