New York City FC suffered a narrow defeat on Friday night against the Columbus Crew.
City played down a man and despite a spirited performance lost 3-2.
Here are Five Points from the game...
In All Weathers
A chaotic weather day in New York City saw sunshine replaced by showers on Friday night.
That pushed kickoff back by an hour but the delay didn’t dampen your enthusiasm for the game. You brought the noise from start to finish, and your vocal backing only reinforced the bond between fans, players, and staff.
The result might not have been the one we wanted, but the performance – in the face of adversity – left a resounding feeling of pride. For coming out and showing up, we say thank you.
Team Effort
City were forced to play a large part of the game a man down following Mitja Ilenič’s dismissal in the first half.
It would be easy to fold in those circumstances but City did far more than that. They attacked the game, took it to their opponents, and ultimately can feel unlucky to have lost the game. The Boys in Blue changed shape, adapted, and showed the kind of unity and character that must be applauded.
All of the best teams have these characteristics in spades and City can take tremendous heart from their response to adversity. The group pulled together and managed 14 shots on the Crew goal. What awaits now is two tricky road games against LA Galaxy and Nashville.
If they carry that same spirit and fight into those games they will likely be rewarded.
Ahead at the Half
The end of the first half was more evidence of how crazy and unpredictable soccer can be.
While many teams may have tried to keep things tight and close out the half at 0-0, City went for a goal and were rewarded in the 44th minute. A wonderful flowing team move, Agustín Ojeda’s finish sent the home crowd delirious.
A memorable moment, it was a reward for a show of self-belief.
McFarlane Debuts
Nick Cushing showed his faith in Christian McFarlane on Friday to hand the defender his MLS debut at 17.
McFarlane has been performing well for New York City FC II in MLS Next Pro. That work has earned him a chance with the First Team and his debut only reinforced his growing reputation.
The teenager almost had an assist after coming on and even came close to scoring but for a last-ditch interception from a Crew defender. Cushing spoke positively of McFarlane after the game stating he knew the defender was ready for this opportunity.
With games coming thick and fast McFarlane has every opportunity to rack up more minutes for City, but for now, he can celebrate his first game knowing he made a positive impact.
Congrautlations Christian!
Maxi & Santi
New York City FC were desperate to find a route back into the contest and that saw Santiago Rodríguez and Maxi Moralez combine for a moment of magic.
Moralez’s pass (his second assist in two games) and Rodríguez’s finish were sublime. The two dovetailed well during the second half and across the last two games they have given an insight into how the team will look in attack when they are both on the field.
Although the pair were unable to get City the equalizer they craved the duo will undeniably present problems for MLS defenses in the coming weeks, and that is something to be excited about.
