Why New York City FC’s road draw is a good thing
Silver lining in New York City FC’s draw
New York City FC didn’t look like their recent dominant selves, settling for a scoreless road draw on Wednesday night. Against a Chicago Fire side that has been near the bottom of the league for much of the year, it was a disappointing result from NYCFC.
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But in these moments, there is a sign of what New York City FC is becoming under head coach Ronny Deila. This is a tough side, a determined one. What has been lacking in NYCFC sides in the past is that ability to churn out results when the game didn’t allow them to play their preferred style.
And midweek at the Fire, Deila’s team fought through a plodding match to get an important road point. New York City FC is the far better team in terms of personnel but the Chicago Fire hung around and made things frustrating for the visitors.
NYCFC played the final 17 minutes of Wednesday night’s match after Keaton Parks got a second yellow card. But even before Parks was dismissed, NYCFC had struggled to find the match and create quality scoring opportunities.
For a team that beat Orlando City 5-0 a week ago and then took down MLS Cup holders Columbus Crew SC 4-1 on the weekend, this match seemed deflating.
“I felt before the red card that we started to open up a little bit in the back and I wanted to go to five at the back to find more control. I think it was the right decision. Of course, when you see red, you need to defend well and hopefully get a chance in the end. We’re happy with one point as you always want to get something in the end, but we didn’t take any chances. 0-0 is important away and a point with us,” Deila said after the match.
“We need to rest well and see how the players are, but of course there are going to be changes with the squad we have. We’ll see where we end up and use this day, and tomorrow to see where they are and find the right lineup for the Toronto game.”
And the Fire, while a disappointing and struggling team this year, are coming of a 1-1 draw against a very good Philadelphia Union side on Sunday and now battled a NYCFC team that has been one of the best in the league over the past month. So while this isn’t a doom-and-gloom result by any stretch for New York City, the match still holds a certain level of disappointment for the club.
On a micro level, there is frustration at the result. At a macro level, a road point is good for this team. New York City FC hasn’t lost in their last four matches.
What was seen from NYCFC midweek is a team that battled and fought against a determined club that defended with numbers. This wasn’t a pretty match and all too often in the past, NYCFC would have struggled to emerge even if with a road draw.
Instead, they battled and fought to earn a point in a tough match with very little flow or rhythm. For a team with playoff ambitions and seeking their first trophy, it was certainly a positive. This is a sign that Deila has his team locked-in.
In MLS, wacky things can and do tend to happen. NYCFC was able to turn a down night into a point. That’s a good thing.