Back in Harrison, New Jersey, for a second match in 17 days, New York City FC extended its unbeaten run vs the Red Bulls with a hard-fought 1-1 draw Saturday night.
RBNY took the lead on the stroke of halftime through Jorge Ruvalcaba, before Andres Perea headed home his first of the season in the second half to make it four straight matches unbeaten in the Hudson River Derby.
During his post-match presser, Pascal Jansen applauded his side's effort on the counterattack, emphasizing changes he made in the second half to alter the flow of the game and combat the intense pressure from Red Bull New York.
He even made a note to mention the impressive second-half display from Malachi Jones, who came on at halftime and "could have scored maybe two or three goals by himself."
All eyes, however, were on Maxi Moralez. The 39-year-old went down with a non-contact knee injury in the 39th minute, requiring the Argentine to be stretched off the pitch. Though his replacement in midfield grabbed the equalizer for New York City in the second half, a long-term injury to Maxi could be detrimental to the outlook for the rest of this season, with Maxi already accounting for 10 goal contributions in 2026.
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Another setback
Maxi Moralez ended the 2023 season on a stretcher getting carried off the field in tears at Yankee Stadium. He had just torn his ACL and would go on to miss the first half of the 2024 season.
The Little Magician bounced back and came back like his old self, and Moralez had not missed a step prior to his injury Saturday night, making 57 starts while contributing 28 goals and assists in all competitions.
