New York City FC II Goals: Guarino 27', Murray 56', Zeitz 76'
Columbus Crew 2 Goals: Bromley 54'
Quick Read
New York City FC II earned a 3-1 win over Columbus Crew 2 at ICAHN Stadium. Leo Guarino opened the scoring before Kevin Bromley equalized early in the second half. Max Murray quickly restored the lead with a header, and substitute Uriel Zeitz sealed the victory late on.
Match Recap
New York City FC II returned to ICAHN Stadium on Friday night as they hosted Columbus Crew 2.
Head Coach Matt Pilkington was eager to see his side bounce back from defeat in their last outing against Huntsville City FC. Just four points separated NYCFC II in eighth and Atlanta United 2 in 12th.
A tight early contest saw both sides register chances before the hosts took the lead in the 27th minute. Following a spell of coordinated pressing, the ball broke loose and Leo Guarino converted.
Guarino, a late addition to the starting XI in place of Peter Molinari, steadied himself before producing a composed first-time finish.
Columbus almost found an equalizer minutes later when Kevin Gbamble fired off a snap shot from distance that bounced awkwardly in front of Mac Learned, forcing him to push the ball behind for a corner.
Learned was called into action again just under ten minutes later when Christopher Rogers stepped into midfield and unleashed a shot from distance that forced a fine save from the NYCFC goalkeeper.
At the other end, James Bilden pounced on a short back pass and looked destined to score with a delicate lob, only for the ball to bounce agonizingly wide.
A chaotic end to the half saw Columbus engineer a 3v2 breakaway, only for the final pass to elude both Crew players inside the area and roll away to safety.
New York City almost doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time after Sebastiano Musu whipped a dangerous free kick toward goal that landed on the roof of the net.
The second half began with Columbus carving out two early chances before they drew level in the 54th minute from a corner—Kevin Bromley tapping home from a narrow angle.
An immediate response followed, however, as NYCFC II retook the lead from almost identical circumstances. Max Murray rose highest at the near post to head in from a corner and restore the advantage.
Pilkington turned to his bench just after the hour mark, introducing Molinari and Uriel Zeitz in place of Guarino and Bilden.
Zeitz made the impact even greater in the 76th minute when he found the scoresheet. Assisted by Sebastiano Musu, it was a confident finish — his third of the season.
Pilkington then introduced Jack Loura in the 83rd minute in place of Piero Elias. From there, NYCFC II managed the closing stages to secure a valuable 3-1 win on home soil.
What's Next
Next up for New York City FC II is a meeting with Toronto FC II on Sunday, August 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00PM ET.
