New York City FC plays better, but falls 2-1 again

New York City FC had a strong performance against the Columbus Crew, but lost 2-1 once again

On Saturday, New York City FC went to Ohio to face the Columbus Crew in their new stadium.  In the last matchup, the Pigeons fell 2-1 at home, and looked to return the favor to their opposition.  With both sides struggling somewhat, the result could have gone either way, especially since both are missing starters due to international duty.  Then, Columbus is coming off a draw with FC Cincinnati, and NYCFC had that awful loss to CF Montréal.

In the end, the Pigeons found their footing that was missing in the previous match, but still fell, once again, 2-1.  Evidently, the team played their hearts out this time around, but bad luck, and also poor refereeing, ultimately led them to zero points.

For the most part, the NYCFC defense was solid.  The return of Alexander Callens was vital to the backline, and both he and Maxime Chanot played exceptionally well, making critical blocks and fortifying the defense.  The lone exception occurred when Darlington Nagbe scored the first goal for the Crew in stoppage time of the first half.  A missed tackle by Callens allowed Nagbe to run unopposed toward goal, and slightly chip the ball in past Luis Barraza and his defense.  That lone mistake unfortunately soured the first half, for NYCFC played well and with purpose.

However, the sourness did not last long when Jesús Medina scored NYCFC’s only goal of the game in the 47th minute.  On the other hand, while the Pigeons outplayed their opponents, especially in the second half, the win for Columbus can be blamed on some bad luck and inadequate refereeing.

In the 61st minute, Nicolás Acevedo was called for a foul on Pedro Santos right outside the box.  The touch made by Acevedo was light, and probably would not have been called by most referees.  Plus, there was some embellishment, and Santos ran right into Acevedo.  But alas, the call was made, and Columbus’ Lucas Zelarayán had an opportunity to put his side on top.  In the last meeting, he alone led his side to a win off of two free kicks, and was in the perfect spot to do the same again.  And, as the story goes, the Argentine did just that, making a kick that was difficult for Barraza to save.  Truthfully, it was once again an incredible free kick, and there was nothing NYCFC could do.

Throughout the game, the Pigeons, were the better side.  They led with 60.1% of the possession, and constantly attacked on Columbus’ door.  With 21 shots, seven shots on goal, and the consistent threat in the attack, one would have thought the team would get that second, and at least leave with a point.  But missed chances, and good defense by Columbus, kept the Pigeons at bay.  In fact, while the performance was night and day compared to their last match, the only thing missing was that finishing touch, minus the Medina goal.  The drive to win was there, and the team never gave up.  This was a game New York City FC deserved to win, but came up short.

Despite the good performance, some aspects impacted the loss

As mentioned, New York City FC struggled to find that finishing touch.  While they are scoring goals this year, the players should be scoring more based on their shooting statistics.  One of the players who really needs to score is Valentín Castellanos.  Goal watch continues for the Argentine, and now his goalless streak stands at eight games.  Although, he improved compared to the last match, and had three shots with two on target.  He was a constant threat in the attacking third, but at the same time, some of his shots should have been executed.

Meanwhile, one of the best players for NYCFC was Gudmundur Thórarinsson.  The left-back not only defended well, but offensively gave the Pigeons opportunities.  He moved the ball up the pitch swiftly and easily.  More importantly, he delivered crosses into the box, giving opportunities to his teammates near goal.  Also, Thórarinsson had chances of his own, with three shots in the first half.

For some reason, Ronny Deila made the decision to substitute the Icelandic international mid-way during the second half.  Clearly he was one of the best players on the pitch, so the choice was puzzling.  Additionally, while Malte Amundsen did not play badly, he was a step down from Thórarinsson, and did not improve the Pigeons’ play.  After finally making the right changes in the D.C. United game, Deila has now made poor choices two games in the row.  It is moments like these that make him questionable as coach.

If there is one thing both NYCFC and Columbus fans can agree on, then it is the fact the referee, Ramy Touchan, was absolutely horrendous.  The referee made bad calls and no-calls, and yellow carded any player that voiced disagreement.  In fact, he gave out eight yellow cards, with quite a few for dissent.  He also was overly whistle-happy, stopping the match way too often.  Since his arguable foul call on Acevedo led to the game-winning free kick, some fans might contend he caused the loss for NYCFC.  Still, he made terrible calls all night for both sides, so his decisions could have led the game to go either way.

Nonetheless, a loss is a loss, and the inability to score the goals that should have been scored hurt the team.  The referee’s performance, and questionable moves made by Deila, did not help either.  At this rate, New York City FC desperately needs another goal-scoring forward, and ideally should use that open Designated Player spot to sign such a talent.  Yet, after losing two games, the team must regroup and brush the losses to the side.  There is still plenty of season left to go, but now, the pressure is on to find consistent success.