Nine-man New York City FC fought back to secure a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls in a stormy derby to kick off Major League Soccer's Rivalry Week on Wednesday.

City had a player sent off in each half but managed to recover from falling behind to Bradley Wright-Phillips' 200th professional goal in the 37th minute to grab a share of the points.

Eloi Amagat had left City down to 10 men after being shown a red card shortly after Wright-Phillips' opener at Yankee Stadium for a wild challenge on Marc Rzatkowski.

City however responded well after half-time, former Spain international David Villa pouncing on a half-chance to score after good work from Maxi Moralez and Jo Inge Berget.

City's task got harder in the 73rd minute however after Ebenezer Ofori was given his marching orders for a foul on Wright-Phillips.

The result did not affect the standings in the Eastern Conference, with Red Bulls remaining in second on 49 points with City third on 48 points.

Rivalry Week sees MLS fixtures scheduled to set up the league's biggest rivalries, with an emphasis on city or regional derbies.