New York City FC upends the Revolution in 2-0 win
New York City FC shocked the New England Revolution in a 2-0 win
On Saturday, New York City FC hosted a red-hot New England Revolution at Yankee Stadium. Looking to bounce back from the loss against the Philadelphia Union, the Pigeons had a hard task ahead of them. Historically, New England has the edge against them with eight wins compared to NYCFC’s five, and then the two have four draws. Plus, the Pigeons lost the first fixture against the first place Eastern Conference team earlier in the season.
Fortunately for the Bronx side, NYCFC continued their success at Yankee Stadium, and won 2-0. The match was one of their stronger ones of the season, for they were on point both offensively and defensively. The Pigeons also ended their opponent’s nine-game unbeaten streak, thus proving they can compete with the top tier teams.
Initially, the first thirty minutes was a back and forth affair, with both teams running from end to end of the pitch. The chances on goal were slim to none, but both sides set up to attack and were relentless. The high energy and hunger to score was there, but neither could capitalize.
Thankfully, the deadlock was then broken in the 31st minute. NYCFC were on the attack when Maxi Moralez once again spotted his fellow Argentine, Valentín Castellanos. The veteran Argentine had a good of amount of space in front of him, and passed the ball with one touch. New England’s goalkeeper, Matt Turner, was off his line, and the younger Argentine jumped into the air and headed the ball into the back of the net. There was nothing that could be done to stop the goal, and Castellanos put his side ahead.
After that goal, the match was a NYCFC affair. While New England did have moments in the attack, and those moments increased in the final 25 minutes, it was all NYCFC. The Pigeons had almost 60% of the possession following the first half, but still held onto the majority of the possession in the game with 51.3%. The team had 19 shots, with five on target as well.
Additionally, the home side had the control because when New England did attack, the compact defense limited their chances. Clearances were made in the right moments, and everyone fought to regain possession.
Furthermore, Castellanos scored his second goal of the night, and tenth of the season, in the 55th minute. New England’s Andrew Farrell failed to clear the ball, and Keaton Parks was in the right spot. He noticed Moralez running up the right side of the pitch, and easily passed the ball to him. Then, the Argentine connection happened again, for the midfielder swept the ball into the box, and fell as he made the pass too. Castellanos was there waiting in the right moment, and touched the ball past the goalkeeper with conviction.
Despite being down 2-0, New England, although battered, did not give up. But the Pigeons also continued to attack, and were strong defensively. In the end, New York City FC were able to hold onto their lead, and finished with their 2-0 win.
It is time to talk about Keaton Parks
Overall, the entire team played well. There were a few mishaps here and there, but New York City FC was able to recover, which is part of why they played so well.
Yet, there is one player that has been having a fantastic year, and it has gone unnoticed: Keaton Parks. The 24 year old has been a vital part of Ronny Deila’s midfield, and quietly has been making a difference. Clearly, he is not perfect, and still has room to grow. However, he has been playing extremely well this season, and deserves some recognition.
One thing to note is that Parks has his career high of three goals already this year. The interesting aspect about this is that the American has been playing more in the central and defensive midfield. He does not always get into the attack, but has made his presence known. More importantly, Parks has improved his ability to act as a provider. Not only does he make some chances for the attacking players, but he provides passes to the chance creators like Maxi Moralez. Of course, that was seen with the second goal of the night.
To add, Parks does average around 86% with his passing accuracy, landing himself in the top four throughout the entire team. In the match against the Revolution, his accuracy was around 87.7%. So not only is his passing ability proven by the eye, but on paper as well.
Speaking about the eye, when one watches Parks, he moves around the midfield with ease. Compared to some players, he moves lightly on his feet, and is not harsh when making runs. His turns are graceful, and he changes the direction of play like a dancer transitioning from one move to the next. He is calm and composed, and this allows him to take matters with the ball in his own hands. His gracefulness and composure has to be part of why he has improved this season, but also it is certain he has put in the work to become a mainstay starter.
Parks does not get the recognition that he deserves for New York City FC. Hopefully his performance against New England illuminates how good of a player he has become, and how he continues to grow.