It’s a buzzing stadium in northern New Jersey. One team and nearly all of their fans are wearing their traditional red, the opponent and their raucous supporters their signature light blue. It’s not the biggest game of the biggest sporting event in human history happening in the United States’ biggest metro area. We’re still two months away from Spain defeating Argentina in the World Cup final at the nearby NFL venue.
No, this game unfolds at Sports Illustrated Stadium, formerly known as Red Bull Arena, and is the latest chapter in the Hudson River Derby between Red Bull New York and New York City FC.
It was a match – and a rivalry – that flashed the potential of Major League Soccer in its largest sports market a week before it paused for the 2026 World Cup. Like the rest of the league, RBNY and NYCFC aim to capitalize on the tournament’s momentum and surge into the next era of soccer in North America.
Unlike the vast majority of MLS, these clubs are pieces in two different multiclub ownership networks rather than the sole focus of an ownership group. City Football Group worries more about Manchester City and Girona than it does New York City FC. Red Bull shines a brighter light on RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg. Though they’re not a hub for Champions League-level talent, both NYCFC and RBNY want to push closer to the mainstream relevance that still eludes MLS, especially in the Big Apple.
Look no further than Instagram, the social media app that should mirror MLS’s demographic sweet spot. RBNY and NYCFC have roughly 300K and 775K followers. Their followings combined fall well short of the city’s famed franchises. The Yankees have over 4 million followers, the Giants nearly 3 million, the Mets nearly 2 million, the Rangers 1.3 million, and the Jets 1.2 million.
The World Cup would conceivably be a catalyst for RBNY and NYCFC gaining a seat at the mainstream sports table. Sports Illustrated Stadium was the official New Jersey fan hub during the tournament. The Red Bulls say they welcomed a total of 175,000 people for watch parties, while NYCFC president and CEO Brad Sims told Backheeled that their “City Corner” fan experience at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center drew over 200,000.
Both clubs also had a presence at World Cup events throughout the area, replete with New York’s can’t-miss soccer culture, in their efforts to bring fans back for their MLS matchdays. Indeed, City Corner was located across the street from NYCFC’s future home, Etihad Park, in the borough of Queens.
