The New York Red Bulls triumphed over NYCFC in the New York derby 1-0 to reclaim the city.
The Red Bulls earned three points at a time when they needed it most given their poor start to the season. The team saw a downward spiral, losing several games before parting of ways with ex-head coach Gerhard Struber and seeing turbulence both on and off the field.
But now, with the win over NYCFC, their three points separate the New York clubs in the Eastern Conference table, with the Red Bulls sitting in 14th place with 12 points and NYCFC in 10th place with 15 points. The win was the second straight win for the Red Bulls following their 1-0 win over D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup earlier that week.
Red Bulls homegrown midfielder Daniel Edelman says there has been a change in the energy amongst the team with Troy Lesesne at the helm as interim head coach:
"I think there’s definitely been a sense of refresh within the team. Troy’s been sort of praising some just added creativity and freedom on the ball. That’s been helpful for our guys to realize that it’s okay to make a mistake, just having a positive reaction to try and win it back or fix it and to help each other out. Something he’s been saying is less talk, more action," said Edelman.
"And I think that’s been super helpful. Just doing our talking on the field and showing everyone what we’re all about instead of talking about it and just living up to it. I think both performances against D.C. and tonight showed that this team is headed in the right direction."
The win also marked the second win for Lesesne, who is now two for two after his first games in charge of Red Bulls.
" ... it's been a lot this week, and it will be a lot going forward," the interim head coach added. "But that's what you hope for. Whenever you get an opportunity like this, you want to obviously make the most of it. I'm at a great club and I've been given an opportunity that I want to try and maximize. And you know, when you play in a derby like this, you get a real sense of what it means to this club even more."
Red Bulls homegrown and first-year midfielder Peter Stroud relished the win over their in-state rivals and admitted it was even better since he grew up in the surrounding area.
"It was obviously an awesome ending to a pretty, pretty memorable night, I'd say. I grew up around here so I kind of had a taste of this," he said. "I was pretty young when NYCFC started coming around, so I've always kind of had a thing against them. They've always been competing with us, stealing players from us at young ages. Felt good to get there and help the team get a win."
The Red Bulls have a lot of work to do in order to finish in playoff spot like they did last season. Lesesne and the Red Bulls aim to go three for three under his guidance when they face bottom-of-the-table Toronto FC Wednesday night.
This article was originally published on 90min as Interim manager Troy Lesesne leads New York Red Bulls to second straight win .
