HARRISON, N.J. – There was a feeling of capitulation with the way New York City FC’s head coach Jason Kreis played his substitutions against the New York Red Bulls Sunday evening.

However, each move was made for a reason — and none more damning than Mix Diskerud’s ouster.

The U.S. Men’s National Team player did not perform to snuff under the bright lights of the Hudson Derby. That wasn’t lost on Kreis, who made the difficult call to pull his star midfielder in a match that was begging for a spark.

“I thought Mix was just not great tonight,” a candid Kreis said after the match. “I thought he was kind of in and around things and not making plays, either in the attacking half or the defensive half.”

Much of that may be due to the discipline of the New York Red Bulls defense. Even as New York City gained momentum and possession, the Red Bulls put pressure on their ball carriers, choking out options and forcing turnovers throughout the field.

“I think New York is a very well-disciplined, well-put-together team,” Kreis acknowledged. “They defend extremely well and hit you on the break extremely well.”

Nevertheless, more is expected of Diskerud, and he was not able to deliver. That failure was palpable after the match, as the Norwegian-born playmaker sat at his locker with his head in his hands before departing, declining media interviews.

“We need to recognize that we’re all not going to have great games all the time,” Kreis said of his star midfielder. “We’ve got guys in the bench that we believe in so we’ll make those changes if we need to.”