The proxy Hudson River Derby is postponed

If you’re looking for the Ligue 1 game between Monaco and Nice that was scheduled for Friday, December 7 - stop looking: the match has been postponed.

The ongoing “yellow vest” protests against a since-cancelled fuel tax hike have raised safety concerns around France, and re-scheduling football matches is one of the consequences of the government’s attempts to restore order.

A new date for the Monaco-Nice match will be announced in due course. Fans will have to wait for the first game between teams coached by former Arsenal and France teammates Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.

The two men never crossed paths in MLS, though they represented rival teams: Henry retired at the end of 2014 after a four-and-a-half-year stint with New York Red Bulls; Vieira coached New York City FC for two-and-a-half seasons, starting in 2016 and concluding when he took over coaching Nice in June.

Still, while Henry and Vieira are helming Monaco and Nice respectively, the match-up will be as good a proxy for MLS’ Hudson River Derby as there is to be found in Ligue 1. We’ll just have to wait a while longer for its first edition.