New York City FC continued their point streak on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Red Bull New York in the New York Derby on Saturday thanks to the help of young, dynamic forward Malachi Jones. While the 22 year-old has spent the last two seasons recovering from a major injury, he has now worked his way into the lineup for head coach Pascal Jansen and nearly was the difference for the club in a major rivalry game.
“All credit to Malachi,” said Jansen after the game. “He alone could have scored maybe two or three goals by himself and killed the game in our favor. That was a major difference in the second half, a massive difference.”
The first half of the game at Sports Illustrated Stadium was on the brink for NYC. They gave up a goal late in the half but had difficulties gaining control of the momentum. Red Bull won on most major stats and looked to be dominant heading into the end of the game. To make matters worse, team leader Maxi Moralez went down with a major leg injury, giving the visitors even more reason to feel shrouded in doom and gloom.
All of that changed with the switch that saw Jones enter the game and Nico Fernandez transition to a winger role. Suddenly, City were able to stretch the field and force Red Bull into the type of panic defending that has opened up chances in recent weeks. NYC were able to find the equalizer early in the second half when Andres Perea headed in a set piece, where they’ve had tremendous success in 2026. From there, Jones saw himself force his way into the game, nearly scoring the game-winning goal in several occasions.
“Our biggest threat is movement in behind,” said Jansen. “There was none of that in the first half. That’s the simple reason why we made the changes at halftime.”
The draw sees the club remain in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, tied on points with Red Bull. City will finish out the first portion of the season with two games, first the US Open Cup quarterfinals against Columbus Crew SC on Wednesday, and then an MLS clash against Nashville over the weekend. Both games will be away from home, adding to the difficulty. However, the club has managed to handle the rough schedule of April and come through with a solid standing before the World Cup break.
photo from NYCFC