New York City Football Club host Red Bulls this Saturday.
For this edition of 'The Away End' presented by Berkeley College & Rennert International, we spoke to Red Bulls beat writer Gustavo Guimarães.
Hi Gustavo, how long have you been covering the Red Bulls?
I started covering the New York Red Bulls back in 2020 right after I joined Território MLS, the biggest website outside the U.S. covering the league.
What has been your highlight during that time?
I would say it was when I was able to break the news when the Red Bulls signed Luquinhas at the beginning of this season. As a journalist, I had the pleasure to get in touch with him and got his word on the deal.
How would you evaluate the Red Bulls season so far?
It’s been a mix of emotions. One of the best teams when playing away but not so much fortune in front of their fans. Gerhard Struber has his merits in keeping the Red Bulls fighting for the top positions in the Eastern Conference with such a young roster and limited options in some positions.
Last time the two sides met NYCFC ran out 1-0 winners. What were your thoughts on that game?
It was like any other derby in the world with each team dominating a different half, lots of trash talk and rough encounters on the field. In the end, NYCFC capitalized with Castellanos after a nice play.
What do you think will be the decisive factor in Saturday's game?
New York City had to play the Campeones Cup last Wednesday while the Red Bulls rested the whole week. So from the physical point of view, this can give an advantage to the visiting team but a derby is a derby and anything can happen.
Do you have a prediction for the game?
This will be the third and possible final encounter of the year and each team won a game. It will be interesting to see the match as NYCFC needs a win more than Red Bulls in order to keep Orland City in distance but they also will be more exhausted. I’m guessing a 2-1 for the Red Bulls.
