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NYCFC: New era of NYCFC soccer starts with the NY Derby on Sunday

By John Carroll Jr.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 13: Laurent Ciman #23 of Los Angeles FC (L) kicks a free kick as Yangel Herrera #30, Sebastien Ibeagha #33, Alexander Callens #6, Alexander Ring #8, and Jesus Medina #19 of New York City FC form a wall at Banc of California Stadium on May 13, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 13: Laurent Ciman #23 of Los Angeles FC (L) kicks a free kick as Yangel Herrera #30, Sebastien Ibeagha #33, Alexander Callens #6, Alexander Ring #8, and Jesus Medina #19 of New York City FC form a wall at Banc of California Stadium on May 13, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images) /
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The third New York Derby of 2018 is Sunday night and for NYCFC it can be the start of a new era.

NYCFC and the New York Red Bulls are both coming off massive coaching changes since their last meeting in the US Open Cup. City brought in Domenec Torrent and the Red Bulls now have Chris Armas.

Neither of these new head coaches was with their respective clubs the last times these two teams squared off. We know what we have in the Red Bulls. They are the dominant team in this matchup.

The only team to truly make NYCFC look silly this season is the Red Bulls. However, with all the fresh faces, it is like a whole new start.

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Out with the old demons and in with the new because we have never seen a New York Derby quite like this one before. For the first time in two seasons, we will see the New York Derby without Patrick Vieira.

Why is that important? Because his tactics always heavily favored the Red Bulls. Whatever lineup the Citizens old coach put out there would backfire.

The Red Bulls scored a ton of goals and smothered City’s attack. New York’s red side’s old coach Jesse Marsch deserves some credit too. He always had his team ready to bring it to the rival NYCFC.

That is exactly how this match, the final installment of the regular season between the two, can change the trajectory of NYCFC.

This is the fresh start they don’t necessarily need but can use to their advantage. Their new coach, Dome Torrent, can go out there with a completely different approach than his predecessor.

Will that work? That is yet to be determined. But, there is always a possibility that a fresh face changes things up for the better.

Regardless of which coach does the better job on Sunday, a win for NYCFC means a lot to them.

The Red Bulls dominate the Hudson River Rivalry. So, the Red Bulls are expecting to win this match solely based off merit. It does not matter that City is the home team. The rivalry has been so lopsided it does not play a factor.

But, there is no better way for NYCFC to break in the era of their new coach by doing the one thing Patrick Vieira never could, beat the New York Red Bulls.

The Red Bulls are still the better team and are poised to finish higher up in the standings but City is still a great team with a lot to prove.

On the high chance that Sunday’s night match vs RBNY is sloppy for both sides, it will still be a fantastic match.

Next: Three Awesome things happening in NY Sports right now

All the old demons of NYCFC can be forgotten with the performance of a lifetime. It won’t be easy but we can truly see what this new regime is made of. What tone do they want to set in important matchups?

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