There have only been four meetings in the #NYderby so far, but at this stage, each installment is the most important edition yet.
That's very much the case the fifth time around, too, as New York City FC host the New York Red Bulls at Yankee Stadium on Sunday in a holiday weekend derby showdown (12 pm ET, ESPN).
If you missed, or happened to forget, the last meeting between the clubs, here's the lowdown: NYCFC, five games unbeaten and feeling confident, hosted the Red Bulls on May 21. The result? A 7-0 road win for the Red Bulls, one of the most astounding scorelines in MLS history.
Following the game, NYCFC head coach Patrick Vieira made a point that was mocked in some quarters.
"Like we say in football, it's always good to lose one game 7-0 than to lose seven games 1-0," he said.
The shadow of a 7-0 rivalry rout will not be something NYCFC can escape from easily, for a long time. But Vieira's point was logical. A huge loss is demoralizing, but it's better for the standings to take your lumps in one concentrated 90 minute segment than dribbled out over multiple games.
And to their credit, New York City bounced back, going 2-1-1 in league play since the loss, including two consecutive wins following the Copa America Centenario break. So now the question turns once more to whether this is the biggest New York Derby yet.
For NYCFC, the answer is clear. If they can get a win, they'll not only be on the board in the all-time series against the local rivals, but they can start to turn the page on the 7-0 loss. At this stage, every single game against the Red Bulls is the biggest game of the season for them.
It may not be quite the same for the Red Bulls, however. A perfect 4-0-0 against NYCFC all-time, the 7-0 win is going to be a watermark in the history of the rivalry, something players and fans of the club will not forget any time soon. If Sunday's clash is a tame one-goal win, either way, or even a draw, this game will fade from RBNY's consciousness in relatively short order.
But it's an interesting time for the rivalry -- unlike the LA Galaxy-Chivas USA rivalry over the years, which while it had its moments (Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch played a key role in one of those memorable moments), the Galaxy dominated and in the final years pretty much assumed they would get three points, which they usually did. If the New York rivalry is as lopsided in several years, then some of the luster will be lost, too.
But it's far too early to write off the New York Derby as an automatic three points for the Red Bulls, although they are creating an impressive body of work. The intrigue for this upcoming game for the Red Bulls is to see if they can preserve their perfect record at the rival's house, once more. The hook for NYCFC, of course, is to see if this is the game where they'll break their duck in the derby.
And the hook for the neutral is whether this will be another astounding game, on either side. Following the (in)famous 7-0, Sunday's game will be must-see TV, in the most important New York Derby game to date.
