Local flair at center stage as Red Bulls-NYCFC rivalry hits playoffs

The rivalry between New York City FC and the Red Bulls has been driven by a number of factors. 

Yes, the two clubs share the same geographic location, but beyond their proximity, the rivalry has added an element to it.

A local flair among the two sides’ most important players has felt more noticeable this season. 

The Red Bulls boast a number of players who have grown up in the New York/New Jersey area and NYCFC makes a similar claim. 

Sean Nealis — the Red Bulls captain and brother to defender Dylan Nealis — hails from Long Island, midfielder Daniel Edelman comes from Warren, N.J., and defender John Tolkin was raised in Chatham, N.J. 

NYCFC defender Tayvon Gray is a Bronx native, midfielder Justin Haak hails from Brooklyn, defender Kevin O’Toole comes from Montclair, N.J. and was a Red Bull Academy product and NYCFC star goalkeeper Matt Freese is from Wayne, N.J. 

“I think that local element is something new that fuels [the rivalry] as well,” AppleTV+ broadcaster Steve Cangialosi told The Post. 

Both clubs have seemed to mine the local talent pool well through the years, which has meant many of the first-team players have been playing with or against one another since their days playing in academies.

Tolkin, for instance, has played with Red Bulls midfielder Peter Stroud — a Chester Township, N.J. native — Roald Mitchell, who is from Montclair and Daniel Edelman, from Warren, N.J., have all played together since they were in the academy. 

That means he’s become quite familiar with the likes of fellow area natives James Sands — a Rye, New York native — Gray and Haak. 

“We always would play each other throughout the academy, so we’ve kind of all grown up together and came through the ranks together,” Tolkin told The Post. “It’s kind of on the big stage now. It’s fun to stand across from each other and go at it again. … They always used to beat us in the academy, so whenever we beat them now, it’s a really good feeling.” 

The development of local talent playing key roles in the Hudson River Derby is also a sense of pride for those from the area who have grown up playing soccer. 

Gray felt that it showed how much the sport’s popularity has also grown over the years. 

“I think soccer has definitely grown since while I was a kid,” he told The Post in a conversation at the club’s training ground in Orangeburg, N.Y. “I think more people definitely play, especially in the New York area. I think when I was younger, it was almost weird to play soccer. I think people definitely gravitating towards soccer, especially in New York.” 

Both clubs have made significant investments in their academy programs over the years, which have developed talent that has made it to various levels of professional soccer. 

NYCFC Academy product Christian McFarlane, who grew up in New York, is expected to sign with Manchester City after making his MLS debut earlier this season.

The Red Bulls Academy produced wonder kid Julian Hall. 

During a sit-down with local media earlier this year, Red Bulls sporting director Julian de Guzman called the New York/New Jersey area a “treasure box” in terms of the talent potential. 

“You just open it up and there’s all these jewels and gems,” he said in June. “It’s just a matter of finding the right one and taking care of it. It’s a special market, competitive market as well, and I think it’s probably one of the most exciting markets, not just in North America, but in the entire world. When you look at the men’s national team, and you identify the amount of players that have come from this particular region, it’s a very high number.” 

He added: “We see a lot of successful players, legendary players, coaches, as well, come from this particular area in the world.”