In a hotly contested Hudson River Derby, host New York Red Bulls and New York City FC battled to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Jorge Ruvalcaba scored for the Red Bulls (5-5-4, 19 points), and Andres Perea scored on a header off a free kick by Nicolas Fernandez for New York City (5-5-4, 19 points).
In the 44th minute, Ronald Donkor played a pass wide to Davi Alexandre, whose cross drew three defenders to Julian Hall. The pass was deflected to Ruvalcaba, who cleaned up the loose ball for a 1-0 lead.
New York City leveled the match in the 52nd minute on a set piece when Perea headed Fernandez’s free kick inside the back post.
The rivalry match heated up in the 22nd minute when twin yellow cards were issued. Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and Agustin Ojeda collided while both tracking a soaring pass.
When Marshall-Rutty stood, he hovered over Ojeda, who sprang up and was shoved by the Red Bulls defender. Players from both clubs quickly gathered, and yellow cards were issued to Marshall-Rutty and Raul Gustavo after he joined the fray.
Second-half substitute Malachi Jones quickly made his presence felt, slicing a shot from the penalty area over the crossbar in the 47th minute.
Jones pressed again in the 59th minute, blasting a right-footed shot that forced Ethan Horvath into a diving save. Moments later, a long pass sent Jones into a 1-on-1 with Horvath, who punched away a sizzling shot.
Nicolas Fernandez’s free kick sailed through traffic in the 72nd minute. Horvath jumped into the mixer and was knocked down as the ball struck the post before being cleared.
The Red Bulls threatened in the 78th minute as Adri Mehmeti’s chip shot clipped the crossbar. Matt Freese handled Hall’s close-range shot in the 89th minute.
Horvath had five saves for the Red Bulls, while Freese was credited with three for NYCFC.
NYCFC veteran midfielder Maxi Moralez exited the match on a stretcher in the 35th minute with an apparent knee injury.
–Field Level Media
