Jonathan Mak

For someone who didn't know they were starting a match until 20 minutes before kick off, Malachi Jones was one of NYCFC's brightest attacking sparks and made a nuisance of himself against D.C. United's backline despite a 2-0 loss Sunday afternoon at Citi Field. Brazilian winger Talles Magno picked up a calf injury during warm-ups, forcing head coach Pascal Jansen to pick Jones to slot in as part of a two-pronged attack alongside Agustin Ojeda.

NYCFC saw off cross-town rivals Red Bull New York 3-1 in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 tie at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Wednesday night. Despite both teams' defensive struggles recently, both attempted to attack every opportunity they got, giving the 9,000-plus in attendance on Wednesday evening a good show.

It's the first Hudson River Derby of the season - New York City FC and Red Bull New York face off in a Round of 16 U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday night at the Sports Illustrated Stadium. Both teams are on the back of losses in the league - NYCFC lost its fourth match of the season to CF Montréal through a Prince Owusu goal early in the first half, and Cincinnati shut down RBNY 2-0 in Ohio last weekend.