The first edition of the Hudson River Derby for this year takes place on Wednesday night as the New York Red Bulls host NYCFC at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Bulls are coming off of their best performance of the year in a 4-0 rout of Inter Miami that leaves them nine points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
NYCFC defeated FC Cincinnati 2-1 to regain third place in the East and the Boys In Blue stand just three points off of second as they seek a second straight derby victory dating back to last year.
Predicted lineups
New York Red Bulls: Coronel; Gutman, Nealis, Edwards; Duncan, Yearwood, Davis, Tolkin; Clark, Klimala, Fabio
NYCFC: Johnson; Amundsen, Chanot, Callens, Tinnerholm; Parks, Sands; Medina, Moralez, Thiago; Castellanos
Ones to watch
Patryk Klimala has scored in each of the Red Bulls' last two games and if he can continue to provide support alongside Fabio, who leads gthe team in goals and assists, they should have one of the most lethal strike partnerships in MLS.
Jesus Medina and Valentin Castellanos are a deadly combination that has combined for 20 goals and 12 assists in 2021. Castellanos has taken 105 shots, 47 on target while Medina is tied for the team lead in games played and third in minutes.
Previous meetings
The last four matchups between the teams has been split with their last contest coming at the end of last year as NYCFC ran out 5-2 winners at Yankee Stadium.
Castellanos bagged a hat-trick, his first goal opening the scoring and his final two goals putting the game out of reach as the Boys In Blue rallied from behind, Gary Mackay-Steven and Alex Ring answering strikes from Brian White and Cristian Casseres Jr.
How to watch
The match will be streamed nationally on ESPN+. Coverage in the New York/New Jersey area will be provided by the MSG Network with kickoff set for 8pm Eastern time.