Red Bulls-NYCFC rivalry to reach new heights in huge MLS playoff battle

Bradley Wright-Phillips hasn’t put on a New York Red Bulls jersey in five years, but the nerves he expects to feel Saturday remain the same as when he suited up against New York City FC back in his playing days.“I have to be neutral, but I’m not gonna lie to you: When that game kicks off, I’ll be nervous,” Wright-Phillips, now a commentator on Apple TV+, told The Post this week.“I know what it looks like losing that for the Red Bull fans, for the players.

I know what it looks like, so I can’t help but watch that game with that feeling.”The match between the two rival New York soccer clubs comes with a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, a first for the Red Bulls since 2018 and potentially City’s first trip back since winning the MLS Cup in 2021.But the impact of Saturday’s Hudson River Derby match will go beyond anything from the previous 29 iterations — MLS regular season, Leagues Cup and U.S.Open Cup — of the rivalry as the clubs play in the playoffs for the first time.While the rivalry is nearly a decade old after NYCFC joined the league in 2015, MLS broadcaster Steve Cangialosi feels the playoffs are where rivalries are solidified.

“I think there are variations of the rivalry really hitting a fever pitch, and I think we’re about to get that again on Saturday,” he said.Despite the lack of postseason meetings, the rivalry between the Red Bulls and NYCFC has produced a number of memorable moments on both sides.The 7-0 drubbing of City at the hands of the Red Bulls — better remembered by fans as the “Red Wedding” — has been a point of pride for the Red Bull faithful since 2016.That same year, more controversy ensued when then-Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch complained about reffing ahead of a match that included then-NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira being ejected and later tearing into his Red Bulls counterpart.Legendary Spanish striker David Villa scored a hat trick — including the game-winning PK — in a 3-2 win ov...