New York Red Bulls midfielder Omir Fernandez has built up a pretty impressive scoring record against his club’s biggest rival, New York City FC.
Fernandez is likely to start on Saturday afternoon when the Red Bulls travel to Yankee Stadium for the regular season’s second installment of the Hudson River Derby. With four career goals against NYCFC — three of which are game-winners — it is easy to see why he should be a lock for the starting XI.
Considering that Fernandez has 13 career goals in MLS, it is a pretty impressive scoring rate.
As a player and as a person, Fernandez is low key and rarely rattled. Much like his playing style, there is a certain glide to Fernandez’s persona that seems much more California than his Bronx upbringing. He is affable and upbeat, so his deep emotion for the rivalry between his Red Bulls and NYCFC is a bit out of character.
He admits that on derby days, he gets amped. That might just explain the 24-year-old’s scoring record against NYCFC.
“It means a lot to me. I have said it many times that I am not a big fan of that team. I always have extra motivation of wanting to prove them wrong and wanting to beat them every single time that we play them,” Fernandez told Pro Soccer Wire.
“I think it brings the best out of the whole team as well and I have just been fortunate enough to get the goals, and hope that it continues on Saturday.”
Growing up in the same borough where he will play on Saturday, there is a different beat to this match for Fernandez. He came up through the Red Bulls Academy system, progressing to playing collegiately at Wake Forest before signing a homegrown deal with the Red Bulls.
There was never a doubt that he wanted to represent the Red Bulls, even if NYCFC was closer to his home. His soccer home, he says, was established in 1996 when MLS was launched.
The banter at the heart of the rivalry is that NYCFC is located in New York City, unlike the Red Bulls who are on the other side of the Hudson River. Not surprisingly, Fernandez isn’t bothered by that talking point even though he grew up close to Yankee Stadium.
“The New York Red Bulls have been here since the very beginning of the league. They are one of the original clubs and for many people growing up, that was the true team in New York,” Fernandez said.
“I don’t agree with people claiming that New York is blue just because of this new team coming in. I have always supported the Red Bulls and will continue to always claim that New York is always going to be red.”
In the micro, the derby match is always a heated one between these two sides, no matter the date or what the league table might say.
But for both clubs, this is an important match on the macro level for the playoff picture.
The Red Bulls are five points shy of the playoff line in the Eastern Conference. NYCFC is four points away.
“It is coming towards the end of the season, where every game counts now. There is at least seven or eight games left that are really important and every single game is important,” Fernandez said.
“It just happened that this next game we are playing is a derby away from home. This can be the start of a good push that we need to be able to make it to the playoffs.”
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