Geographically, it is one of the oldest rivalries in MLS. The New England Revolution and the New York Red Bulls (née the MetroStars from yesteryear) have survived some of the more storied battles in the league dating back to its inception in 1996. They'll meet once again on Sunday as part of Heineken Rivalry Week (2:30 pm ET, ESPN in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada).
While both clubs both have bigger rivals at this point, there is no denying a little past history. There are also moments when fans have come together, putting aside the rivalry to support each other.
10. Understanding the Rivalry
To paraphrase Thierry Henry, don’t get it twisted: in the early years these two team weren’t very good. The MetroStars and Revolution had some of the biggest stars of the early days of MLS and yet the likes of Tony Meola, Tab Ramos and Roberto Donadoni in New York and Alexi Lalas and Walter Zenga in New England couldn’t give either team much success.
So the rivalry was born from both teams very often desperately pursuing the playoffs and hoping to squeeze in. The disdain these two cities have for each other in other sports has been just as influential as any truly bad blood between the MLS sides.
9. Titi’s Farewell
It will be an answer to a trivia question someday: The legendary Thierry Henry played the final match of his professional career in 2014 at Gillette Stadium. It was a playoff match, one in which his Red Bulls bowed out to the Revolution just a game short of MLS Cup. The prominent Red Bulls traveling support – as well as many Revolution fans – applauded Henry off the field, knowing full well that they'd likely watched the final game of a legendary player.
Henry's excellence and star power helped make MLS a truly global brand. That he was a joy to watch on the field was recognized by those fans who showed him respect as he walked off the field one last time in Foxborough in 2014.
8. Playoff Misery
Following a late-season head coaching change that saw Bob Bradley booted and Mo Johnston installed on the sidelines, the MetroStars hoped they were headed in the right direction in 2005. Some tinkering with the lineup, including the installation of Seth Stammler into the starting 11, seemed to have the squad ticking, playing aggressive, counter-attacking soccer.
A 1-0 win by the MetroStars in the first leg of the playoffs was followed by a 2-1 win by the Revolution. In the third and decisive match (playoff series were three-legged affairs back then), the Revolution would overcome a 2-0 deficit with three second-half goals to advance. It is still one of the sweeter moments in franchise history, the improbable comeback that sank a conference foe on a snowy field in Foxborough.
7. Boston Strong
Following the terrorist attack at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013, Red Bulls fans joined with their rivals to pay honor to the victims of the bombing. New York fans unfurled a tifo at their next home match to show support for the grieving city. The two teams' supporters' groups also marched into Red Bull Arena just a few days later as a sign of solidarity, prior to the two teams' meeting in a regular-season match. It was classy stuff from both sides during a difficult few weeks for the city of Boston.
6. Popping the Champagne
The 2002 Revolution side was the start of what be might be one of the best teams to never lift MLS Cup (the 2001 Miami Fusion and the 2013 Red Bulls are also in that mix). They would advance to MLS Cup, which they hosted that year, losing 1-0 to the LA Galaxy, and would go on again to become one of the most consistent teams in the league over the next few years.
Their final game of the 2002 season was an emphatic 3-0 win at Gillette Stadium over the MetroStars, a game that knocked the New York side out of postseason contention. MetroStars fans were forced to watch the team from up north celebrate their playoff berth. The exploits of Taylor Twellman, the league’s leading scorer that year, added salt to the wound.
5. A Fitting Send-Off
It was 2003 and the MetroStars were just forming an identity in their first season under Bob Bradley. On July 13, down three goals to New England midway through the second half, the team climbed back for an impressive 3-3 tie that showed their character and backbone. Leading the charge was John Wolyniec with a gritty first goal. (He's now the coach of the Red Bulls' USL team, which sits atop that league.)
Also of note: This marked Tim Howard’s final game in New York ahead of his much-ballyhooed transfer to Manchester United. The match was played as part of an epic Gold Cup tripleheader at Gillette Stadium.
4. A Big Deal
In 1998, the MetroStars and Revolution were involved in one of the biggest trades in the league’s history, with the New York side sending the recently acquired Raul Diaz Arce to the Revolution for Alexi Lalas. It was a bold move, as Diaz Arce was one of the league’s top scorers and attractions, but the MetroStars craved Lalas as their missing piece at center back.
Even two decades later, it remains one of the biggest swaps of name players in league history, one that may never be duplicated. History repeated itself as Diaz Arce was traded to the MetroStars in 1999 but again only briefly, as he was later packaged with Marcelo Vega in a deal with the San Jose Earthquakes. Lalas played just a single season with the MetroStars.
3. The "Streak"
For a long stretch of this rivalry, the New York side just couldn’t win at Gillette Stadium, going 20 matches without a win. The streak would end in 2014 under former head coach Mike Petke, but for a while, a trip to Foxborough was a house of horrors for the New York club. It seemed like during those years that the MetroStars, and then the Red Bulls, played their worst against the Revolution. It didn’t hurt that New England had players such as Twellman, Steve Ralston, Shalrie Joseph and especially Pat Noonan step up in many of those clashes.
2. Kick-Starting the Curse
That first MetroStars home game at Giants Stadium was against the New England Revolution, played before a massive crowd and plenty of excitement. But what was supposed to be the beautiful game’s return to Giants Stadium – the home of greats like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto – instead was a boring affair. That is, until MetroStars defender Nicola Caricola inexplicably put a harmless Darren Sawatzky cross into his own net.
The "Curse of Caricola" was born that day and plagued the franchise for nearly two decades. The MetroStars had some star-studded teams those early years, but wouldn’t win the Eastern Conference till 2000. They also wouldn't win a single piece of hardware until their 2013 Supporters' Shield under Petke.
1. Friendly Faces
Even from the early days of this rivalry, there was no true hatred on the soccer field between New York and New England. In fact, the two fan bases seem to get along well, and it isn’t uncommon to see supporters visiting rival tailgates for some grub and suds.
Just don't bring up Jermaine Jones, however, and his playoff performance against the Red Bulls a couple years back – that conversation might turn salty quickly.
