People beat each other up with trash bags and sandwich boards before Red Bulls vs. NYCFC

The New York Red Bulls and New York City FC were set to face off for the final time this MLS season on Sunday in the New York Derby, the infant machinations of what will hopefully become a storied rivalry. After all, the two haven’t had much interaction since New York City FC is barely in its first season as a club.

Even though the rivalry is still new, things managed to get out of hand in Newark outside of Bello’s Pub and Grill, where fans from both teams began their festivities. Unfortunately, the festivities got violent. Fans took off their shirts and began throwing things at each other. A few fans grabbed the closest trash bags and started hurling them. Someone even managed to grab the nearby sandwich board and launched it over a few bar patrons.

Sometimes sports can be great. In this case—when things get violent—they definitely aren’t. Luckily, the police showed up before the violence escalated, and the uproarious soccer fans immediately dispersed. Here’s hoping that all the animosity between these two teams is settled on the pitch and not on the streets.

But rather than harboring on the negativity, let’s make this unfortunate scuffle into a good thing: PILLOW FIGHT!