New York City FC (NYCFC) ended the domination of its arch-rival New York Red Bulls following a 3-2 win in Sunday’s Hudson River Derby. The match, which was held at Yankee Stadium, became the first sold-out battle of the season as 30,000 tickets for general seating were snapped by fans.
David Villa of NYCFC gave something to remember to The Pigeons’ fans after scoring his first-ever MLS hat trick. The former Valencia and Barcelona star got a standing ovation and chants of “MPV” from the crowd when he walked off the pitch in the 90th minute.
Red Bulls led 2-1 before NYCFC hit back with Villa completing his hat trick. The win took The Boys in Blue to the third position in the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, The Metros are fourth, having collecting 35 points from 22 games (one game less than their local rivals).
The Spanish goal-scorer now tops MLS with 17 goals, one more ahead of Nemanja Nikolic (Chicago Fire). NYCFC Manager Patrick Viera praised Villa and his colleagues following The Blues’ victory.
“David is our leader,” said the French manager as quoted by MLSSoccer.com.
According to Viera, Villa’s leadership on the pitch means more than his goals. Meanwhile, the player emphasized on his efforts.
“I try to do my best always in the training facility, in the games. I try to show every young player that I arrive where I arrive because I always give 100 percent on the pitch,” Villa said.
“You can play well like today and score three goals. You can play bad like I did in Toronto the other day. But it’s mandatory to give 100 percent and I try to do that,” the former Atletico Madrid forward concluded in an interview on MLSSoccer.com.
The derby's victory means a lot to NYCFC. Besides winning against their biggest rival, The Blues sent a strong comeback message to other teams after a 4-0 loss to Toronto FC last week. The Hudson River clash is seen as a vital match that helps to push MLS to a higher level, so using it as a platform to bounce back is quite an achievement.
Even the losing team considered the Sunday’s clash a great game. Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said to the New York Post:
“This is what this sport is and this is what great rivalries are. So it’s a crappy feeling, that’s for sure.”
NYCFC's next home match is against New England on Sunday, August 20, 2017.
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