# @amnysports on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DLH5Ddgs9uS
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/64065665-amnysports-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2e55a7da3d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-06-20T12:56:37.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** amNewYork Sports (@amnysports) — https://gondola.cc/amnysports

## Caption

Aiden O’Neill’s first full-90-minute appearance in NYCFC’s blue and white came under the brightest lights of New York soccer. In the heat of a mid-May rivalry weekend, he got a full taste of the Hudson River Derby, a decade in the making.

It was a sweltering Saturday afternoon, the city still hungover from the New York Knicks’ Game 6 win that ended the Boston Celtics’ season the night before. The match coincided with the Subway Series across town in The Bronx, and yet, 30,000 strong turned out at Citi Field for the derby.

Soccer isn’t the trademark of a heavily saturated New York sports market. But on rivalry weekend, the Hudson River Derby is always a hit, not only for the fans but for the players. These were the matches they looked forward to the most.

The first derby of 2025 carried extra meaning: it was the clubs’ first meeting since the Red Bulls’ ousting of City in the Eastern Conference semifinals last November.

And O’Neill, the club’s new midfield signing, felt right at home. He’d played in derbies before. He knew how much these games meant to the fans. As players, he explained, everything from emotions to energy was heightened in derbies. His experience helped him prepare for this one. The best part? City defeated the Red Bulls 2-0. New York was blue once again.

“That one’s right up there,” O’Neill said afterward. “The atmosphere was unbelievable, and I enjoyed every moment of it.”

He may be only 26, but O’Neill’s resume includes minutes in the Premier League, the Australian national team — commonly referred to as the “Socceroos” — and leadership experience as the captain of Belgian Pro League side Standard Liège. Along the way, he’s played in his share of derbies, including the East Lancashire derby between his former Premier League club, Burnley FC, and Blackburn Rovers. When O’Neill returned to his native Australia to play for Melbourne City FC, he played in the Melbourne Derby.

Read more on amNY.com or link in bio
🎥📝 Miles Bolton

#NYCFC

## Stats

- **Views:** 13
- **Likes:** 0
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## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| amNewYork Sports | @amnysports | https://gondola.cc/amnysports | Media Company |
| Miles Bolton | @miles.bolt | https://gondola.cc/miles.bolt | Videographer |
| Miles Bolton | @miles.bolt | https://gondola.cc/miles.bolt | Video Editor |

## Tags

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