With blue side of the city buzzing, New York Red Bulls know who their real rivals are on eve of Atlantic Cup

HARRISON, N.J. – Call it a rivalry. Call it a derby. Just don’t call it a friendly.

When it comes to the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United, who will face off for the first time in 2015 on Sunday at Red Bull Arena (5 pm ET; ESPN2), there’s hardly ever any love lost. Spawned in the infancy of the league, it’s a rivalry with more than its fair share of history.

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On the whole, United have enjoyed the lion’s share of success. The playoff triumphs and loaded trophy case speak for themselves. But in recent years, New York have enjoyed some marquee milestones at the expense of their hated rivals, lifting the 2013 Supporters’ Shield as United finished dead last in the league, as well as knocking D.C. out of the playoffs in 2014 en route to the club’s first playoff win at Red Bull Arena.

“We know what we did to them last year,” Red Bulls captain
Dax McCarty
said, recalling the playoff win over United. “They knocked us out of the playoffs back in 2012, and they had our number then, but we knocked them out last year and ended their season. It seems every game against D.C. always has meaning.”

There is a new twist this season in the 20-year history filled with vitriol and contempt, with new kids on the block, New York City FC, garnering much of the attention. While most Red Bulls fans aren’t ready to acknowledge their impending matchups as a derby clashes just yet, Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch is buying into the hype.

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“I’ve heard different fans say that it’s not a derby yet and we shouldn’t recognize them,” Marsch said. “But for me, I’m really excited to play them. I know what those matches feel like and I think this has the potential to be the biggest [in MLS]. I think everyone’s excited for the potential of what this can be.”

But the Red Bulls know their history with D.C. can’t be denied.

“We have a history with D.C. United,” McCarty said. “We have no history with New York City FC. It’s exciting to talk about and it’s exciting to think about looking towards the future in terms of us playing at Yankee Stadium and them coming to Red Bull Arena. You can feel the excitement building towards that, but whenever it’s D.C. United, there’s almost an excitement in the hatred towards each other because it’s mutual.”

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For McCarty, a player who has spent time on both sides of the rivalry, there’s simply no mistaking it.

“They’re ahead of us in the standings,” McCarty added. “I don’t care how early it is, whenever they’re above us in the standings that always pisses me off. We’re looking forward to the game; it’s going to be no different. We expect a great crowd and we expect a very competitive game.”