Red Bull New York vs. New York City FC: What to know for Walmart Saturday Showdown

The Hudson River Derby resumes when Red Bull New York host arch-rivals New York City FC for Matchday 14’s Walmart Saturday Showdown.

• Sports Illustrated Stadium | Harrison, New Jersey

• 6th in Eastern Conference
• 18 points, 5W-5L-3D

Winners of two straight, the Red Bulls are back in Eastern Conference contention this season after seeing their MLS-record, 15-year Audi MLS Cup Playoffs streak end in 2025.

They’re doing it with a youth-heavy squad, highlighted by rising striker Julian Hall. The 18-year-old homegrown became the youngest player in league history to score a hat trick in Wednesday’s 3-2 home win over the Columbus Crew. 

Fellow teenagers Adri Mehmeti and Matthew Dos Santos have also stood out under first-year head coach and U.S. Soccer legend Michael Bradley. 

• Julian Hall: Hall’s midweek hat trick elevated him to 9g/2a on the season, straight into the Golden Boot presented by Audi race. 
• Adri Mehmeti: Mehmeti is developing into one of the league’s top midfielders, with high-profile clubs reportedly scouting the 17-year-old US youth international.
• Emil Forsberg: The Swedish star and German Bundesliga alum has 1g/5g in his third season as RBNY captain.
• Jorge Ruvalcaba: The Mexican-American winger has four goals in his debut MLS season; he arrived in February from LIGA MX side Pumas UNAM.
• Cade Cowell: The San Jose Earthquakes product is another offseason LIGA MX arrival, producing 1g/5g while on loan from Chivas de Guadalajara.

With back-to-back three-goal RBNY performances, Bradley will likely repeat the attacking trio of Hall-Ruvalcaba-Cowell up top.

• 5th in Eastern Conference
• 18 points, 5W-5L-3D

NYCFC also enter Saturday’s derby riding a two-game winning streak. 

Their most recent triumph came in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory at Charlotte FC, with Nicolás Fernández Mercau scoring the decisive goal. The Argentine forward has a club-best 9g/3a in his first full season with NYCFC.

After reaching the 2025 Eastern Conference Final, the Cityzens are looking to go one step further in year two under head coach Pascal Jansen.

• Matt Freese: The USMNT goalkeeper has posted two straight clean sheets as he looks to secure the starting job at this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• Nicolás Fernández Mercau: With 12g/4a in 24 regular-season starts, Fernández Mercau has quickly become one of the league’s top attackers. 
• Maxi Moralez: The legendary NYCFC playmaker is showing no signs of slowing down at age 39, thanks to a team-high six assists this season.
• Hannes Wolf: A former Austrian youth international, Wolf scored his first career hat trick in last weekend’s 3-0 win over the Columbus Crew.
• Thiago Martins: The club captain and 2024 MLS All-Star continues to anchor NYCFC’s backline. He recently surpassed 150 all-time appearances for the club.

After a seven-game winless streak, NYCFC have rattled off two straight wins. With things going well and a derby coming up, don’t expect Jansen to experiment much (if at all).

The Hudson River Derby seems a virtual toss-up, with the Red Bulls and NYCFC each netting about 40% of the market. Notably, these sides haven’t settled for a draw since the 2023 season.

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Market insights shared are current as of Thursday, May 14 at 1:30 pm ET.

Red Bull have home-field advantage and a historical edge over their cross-city rivals, posting a 16W-13L-4D record in 33 matches across all competitions. 

However, NYCFC have recent history on their side. They’ve won the last three derbies, including last month’s 3-1 victory in the US Open Cup.