Julian Hall Secures 1-0 Derby Victory for Red Bulls
September 18, 2026 Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
The New York Red Bulls secured a narrow 1-0 victory over rivals New York City FC in the Hudson River Derby at Yankee Stadium. Teenage forward Julian Hall scored the decisive goal in the 57th minute by capitalizing on a defensive error, a win that allowed the Red Bulls to leapfrog NYCFC into eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The two New York sides came into the Hudson River Derby at Yankee Stadium in hopes of securing much-needed points as they pursued a playoff position. The opening half of the match would belong largely to the hosts, New York City FC, who dictated tempo but lacked the final touch to crack a stubborn New York Red Bulls defense. NYCFC went on the attack immediately, finding their first major opportunity in the 16th minute when Aiden O'Neill’s effort was blocked. Just two minutes later, Andrés Perea dispossessed the Red Bulls' midfield and drove a low, powerful shot toward goal, forcing a diving save from Red Bulls keeper Ethan Horvath. The visitors struggled to sustain possession, possessing the ball for just 40% of the match and failing to register a single shot on target during the opening 45 minutes. Despite the physical nature of the derby—which saw three first-half yellow cards for the Red Bulls—the teams went into the locker rooms deadlocked at 0-0.
The match completely turned in the 57th minute due to a huge defensive error by NYCFC. Midfielder James Sands attempted a soft back-pass to goalkeeper Matt Freese. Sensing the weak pass, Red Bulls forward Julian Hall pounced on the loose ball, rounded an out-of-position Freese, and easily slotted a right-footed shot into the back of the net. With the goal, Hall became the youngest player in MLS history to score 10 goals in a single season at 18 years and 178 days old. With the 1-0 advantage, the Red Bulls leaned heavily into their defensive structure. Horvath and his backline, anchored by Tim Parker and Julián Bazán, consistently thwarted NYCFC's response, blocking seven of NYCFC's 18 total shots. Pascal Jansen made several tactical adjustments, bringing on Alonso Martínez and Bénie Traoré to revitalize the attack. Traoré nearly found the equalizer during a chaotic four-minute stoppage time, but Horvath made a point-blank save to preserve his clean sheet and secure the victory.
Although the Red Bulls' victory isn't decisive and they still have significant work to do to secure a playoff spot, the derby win marks a major shift in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With only a few regular-season games left, the three points enabled the Red Bulls to overtake their rivals in the standings. The Red Bulls, with 33 points, now hold the 8th seed, putting themselves in a good position to host the Wild Card match. Meanwhile, NYCFC, with 32 points, drops to the 9th and final playoff spot, precariously close to being pushed out of the postseason with FC Cincinnati close behind.
Red Bull head coach Michael Bradley commented on the importance of the win against rivals NYCFC:
"Yeah, it’s a big win. Really, really important three points when you get to the end of the year and you’re coming down the stretch and you play teams in your conference who are around you, could be a little bit above, could be a little bit below. Those become important points. So obviously you combine that with a derby, and it’s a big thing, so we’re really proud of the group."
He also addressed the impressive performance on the defensive end:
"I mean, you get to the end of big games or derbies, and they can get turned on their head a little bit, and so obviously down a goal, they’re going to do everything they can to push and throw numbers into the box. Generally speaking, I thought we defended quite well, but we still have a little bit of a tendency sometimes to give away a big chance or two from nothing. And so in this last period when that has happened, Ethan (Horvath) has been ready to make some big plays. He’s been there for us and the guys in the back, but in reality, it’s the guys in the back and the midfielders and the attackers coming back. There are a lot of guys who make some big plays, some big blocks, some really hard reactions. That’s the sign of a real team."
NYCFC head coach Pascal Jansen commented on the costly error that ultimately cost his side the match.
"On the Costly Defensive Error" We played with fire and ultimately got burned. At this level, and especially in a derby of this magnitude, you cannot hand your opponent gifts. The back-pass was short, but our overall defensive awareness in that transition sequence was completely absent. We allowed Julian Hall to dictate the terms in our own box, and it cost us the entire match."
He also addressed the team's first half performance but inability to open the scoring:
"In the first half, we executed the game plan exactly how we wanted in terms of spacing and ball retention. We dictated the tempo. But control means absolutely nothing if you lack the killer instinct in the final third. We created three or four highly promising sequences before the break where the final pass or the shot selection simply wasn't sharp enough. You have to reward your own defensive work by putting the ball in the net."
Red Bull New York 1, New York City FC 0
Scoring Summary:
NY – Julian Hall 10 (unassisted) 57’
Misconduct Summary:
NY – Adri Mehmeti (caution, foul) 6’
NY – Cade Cowell (caution, foul) 22’
NYC – Nico Cavallo (caution, foul) 31’
NY – Mohammed Sofo (caution, foul) 40’
NYC – Aiden O’Neill (caution, foul) 55’
Red Bull New York: Ethan Horvath; Matthew Dos Santos (Devin Padelford, 62’), Julián Bazán, Tim Parker, Dylan Nealis ©, Adri Mehmeti (David Ruiz, 84’), Ronald Donkor, Mohammed Sofo, Cade Cowell (Jorge Ruvalcaba, 84’), Cameron Harper, Julian Hall (Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, 84’),
Unused Subs: John McCarthy, Emil Forsberg, Sekou Kone, Dennis Nelich, Robert Voloder
New York City FC: Matt Freese; Nico Cavallo, James Sands, Thiago Martins ©, Tayvon Gray, Nicholas Fernandez, Andres Perea, Aiden O’Neill, Hannes Wolf (Benie Traore, 62’), Luighi (Alonso Martinez, 62’) Agustin Ojeda (Malachi Jones, 76’)
Unused Subs: Tomas Romero, Kevin O’Toole, Max Murray, Jonathan Shore, Raul Gustavo, Mitja Ilenic
Match Statistics:
Possession: RBNY 37% - NYCFC 63%
Total Shots: RBNY 9 - NYCFC 18
Shots on Goal: RBNY 1 - NYCFC 5
Offsides: RBNY 1 - NYCFC 0
Fouls Committed: RBNY 19 - NYCFC 10
Corner Kicks: RBNY 7 - NYCFC 6
Saves: RBNY 4 - NYCFC 0
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