Pascal Jansen is calling for focus from his players ahead of the Hudson River Derby this weekend.
New York City FC welcome the Red Bulls to Citi Field on Saturday afternoon for the first Hudson River Derby of the season. The rivalry always brings heightened emotions and fierce competition, but for Jansen and his side, the emphasis is on execution—not just the occasion.
“Emotions are always there in each and every game,” Jansen said. “A derby always brings something extra with it. We’re fully aware of that. But we try to focus on the present.”
City recorded an important road point against D.C. United midweek in a performance that Jansen says encouraged the players.
“Wednesday was a better match from our point of view. We didn’t get the goal, we didn’t get the win unfortunately, but the way we played is something I was very, very pleased with,” he said. “For us, that is a starting point going into this game.”
The Red Bulls spent midweek on the road in Nashville, Tennessee, where they suffered a narrow defeat against Nashville SC. As they now head across the Hudson to face City, Jansen doesn’t expect any change in the Red Bulls’ approach, despite their travel schedule.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how much energy they will have coming off so many games,” Jansen noted. “I expect high intensity, a lot of energy in this match. We have to make sure we at least match the intensity, aggression, and energy required in this derby.”
Reflecting on his team’s recent form, Jansen spoke about the need for consistency while praising the evolution of his team throughout the season so far.
“We’ve had a couple of games that were below our standards,” he admitted. “Cincinnati, and the two games after that—in Pittsburgh and at home against Montréal—were not at the level we expect. But I’ve seen us evolve, getting more bodies forward, creating good attacking play. That’s the challenge we face in this match.”
Despite the derby’s historical weight, Jansen isn’t interested in talking about momentum or storylines. For him, the task is simple.
“It’s not about creating momentum for us—it’s about winning the next game,” he said.
