Red Bulls Earn a Point in 1-1 Tie with NYCFC

Published: Sunday, May 17, 2026

by Sean Casey

HARRISON, N.J. - The New York Red Bulls (5-4-5) could only manage to earn a point against NYCFC (5-4-5) drawing 1-1 on Saturday night.

New York started out with a flurry of chances right off the bat. Red Bull captain Emil Forsberg saw a shot blocked and later a free kick knocked away in the first 15 minutes. The Red Bulls started the game dominant in possession.

Things would not last long however, as both sides became tense.  Throughout the match many scuffles broke out and yellow cards were shown. But, the biggest came in the 23rd minute, withRed Bull left back Marshall Rutty receiving a yellow.

Over the course of the first half, both teams traded scoring chances. Both goalies had three saves each before the deadlock was broken. Cade Cowell sent a cross in the box and found the foot of Jorge Ruvalcaba to give the Red Bulls the lead right before half.

The Red Bulls outplayed NYCFC in the first half, even though neither side dominated possession. However the Red Bulls outshot NYC 8-2, and created more chances.

Coming out of half it was NYC that came out strong. The half started with a ton of pressure on the Red Bull Defense. A foul from Sean Nealis gave NYC a free kick in a dangerous area in the 52nd minute. Nicolás Fernández launched a beautiful free kick towards the box and picked out Andrés Perea, who headed in the equalizer for NYC.

The rest of the half saw the game open up for both sides. Both teams were able to break defensive lines with relative ease. NYC’s next best chance came in the 83rd minute off another free kick. Fernández’s shot went right through the hands of Red Bull goalie Ethan Horvath but bounced straight off the crossbar.

The Red Bulls responded just a few moments later, approaching stoppage time when Gustav Berggren found free space for Cowelll. Cowell beat his man 1v1 but was unable to beat NYC's goalie Matt Freese in the near post.

Neither side was able to create much in the 4 extra minutes of regulation and the points were ultimately shared in the derby. The Red Bulls were able to defend multiple big chances created by Fernández and the rest of the city attack.

The draw was the 5th of the Red Bulls’ season. Up next for the Red Bulls is a trip to Kansas City before a summer break with the World Cup coming to North America.

Sean Casey can be reached at sean.casey@student.shu.edu 

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