New York City Football Club returned to MLS action with a 1-1 draw at D.C. United.
Two penalties saw the points shared at Audi Field, as Santiago Rodríguez’s first-half spot-kick was canceled out by Christian Benteke’s effort.
Here are Five Points from an eventful and entertaining encounter…
All Square
It was a game packed with incident and controversy: penalty awards, VAR calls, and goals ruled out at both ends – and all in all, a draw was probably a fair result.
New York dominated the first half, laying immediate siege to D.C.’s goal and carving open the hosts’ defense with some delightful, free-flowing football.
After taking the lead from the penalty spot (and surviving a disallowed quickfire leveler), the visitors were perhaps unfortunate not to have doubled the lead, as Alonso Martínez was denied his 12th goal of the season by the offside flag.
While Cushing was left frustrated that his side could not make their first half dominance pay, he was impressed with their defensive solidity, and ability to preserve a point despite late pressure, after D.C. had battled back to draw level.
There was plenty of praise too for Matt Freese, who produced a fine display between the sticks, making his return after suffering an MCL strain in Columbus before the international break. The shot-stopper registered six saves with safe hands throughout – clean, tidy, and ice-cool under pressure.
Cool Blue
Another man with ice in his veins… City’s talismanic #10 Santi Rodríguez.
The Uruguayan was the epitome of composure when he stepped up to break the deadlock in the capital, bagging his ninth goal of a superb MLS campaign with a sumptuous spot-kick.
Named the August Etihad Player of the Month the previous day – and for the fifth time this term – the forward extended his scoring streak into September with a delightful Panenka penalty to steer Cushing’s side ahead.
A cheeky but clinical finish from a player full of confidence – evident in his impactful displays this term. With 12 goals in all competitions, and 17 goal contributions in MLS alone, he continues to star as a key creative spark, and it was no surprise to see the 24-year-old follow up his August acclaim with a Player of the Match selection in D.C.
Case For The Defense
Unsurprisingly, much of the prematch discussion had focused on the major threat of the league’s leading goalscorer, Benteke.
The former Premier League man entered the game topping the charts in the race for the Golden Boot, and New York knew they would have to be at their best defensively to thwart the center-forward, limiting his opportunities and restricting his supply.
Though the Belgian would write his name onto the scoresheet, showing his quality by smashing in an unstoppable PK to level the score, he recorded just two shots on target.
Overall, D.C. were reduced to half-chances throughout with Gabriel Pirani’s disallowed goal marking City’s only other real moment of danger – a notable feat all the more impressive given the late change to the starting backline with Strahinja Tanasijević replacing Birk Risa, who unfortunately pulled up in the warm-up.
Reflecting on the point and the performance, defender Thiago Martins was pleased with his side’s defensive display.
“We know his quality, and we need to be alert every single time,” the center-back said of Benteke’s threat. “He can’t have so much space, because if he has space, he’s going to do something. We keep with the structure – our defense did a good job to stop him, to stop the guys close to him, because we know sometimes, he just flicks the ball to the other guys running in behind.
“All the guys did so well, and they helped us a lot to defend – especially when Keaton [Parks] goes to attack the first ball against Benteke, it’s so important, because when we dropped the line, Keaton attacks the ball, and we closed their game. When he flicks, we were there. We need to improve, we need to be better, but we did a good job against Benteke.”
Evolution
Speaking ahead of the game, Cushing had noted how both teams had ‘evolved’ since their last meeting in April – a 2-0 victory for the Boys in Blue at Citi Field.
D.C. headed into this clash in fine form with four wins from their last five games (powered by star man Benteke), fashioning an effective gameplan and playing style – and the hosts employed an offensive tactical shift in the second half to claw a route back into the contest.
The concept of ‘evolution’ was also discussed in the post-match press conference, as Cushing identified learning opportunities for his side – the importance of capitalizing on attacking pressure to gain a comfortable cushion, and the ability to grind out a win under difficult circumstances.
“The evolution of our team, the development of this group, is to go in at half-time 2-0, 3-0, because the play was exceptional,” he said, “but when a team comes and puts you under pressure, and just throws bodies forward and leaves it 1v1 at the back, it disrupts your rhythm.
“The mentality of our team, and the hunger and desire of our team, it definitely feels like two points dropped, because we want to win, and we want to solidify our league position, and we want to continue to show improvement like we have all year.
“The first half performance was top level. I'm satisfied that we defended the game really well against a really difficult, direct, physical team, with the leading goalscorer reduced into a penalty – no real chances – but I want to go on the front foot and create more chances.
“I think one thing that we did better, especially in those latter parts of the game, was that we didn't make individual errors. We were focused, we were switched on; we made sure we won our duels, and it was a real professional finish.
“For us, the evolution, the development of us, is to make sure we can absorb that pressure, and we can take a win – but with the way they played, and the gambles they took, and the physicality they showed, we take a point.”
Big Week Ahead
As the MLS regular season nears its exciting conclusion, it’s crunch time for the playoff hopefuls in the final stretch.
City have six games remaining to secure their spot, aiming of course to finish as high in the Eastern Conference as possible.
With four of those six fixtures on home soil, the Boys in Blue will look to make home advantage count – and this week could prove a pivotal one with a pair of quickfire battles in the Bronx.
Back in action on Wednesday night with the visit of Philadelphia Union, Cushing and co. will be seeking a return to winning ways, eager to now build momentum in the push for more postseason glory – and every person connected to the club will have a part to play in a crucial period for the Club.
Facing Supporters’ Shield leaders Inter Miami in a mouthwatering clash on Saturday, New York then cross the river to face fierce rivals Red Bulls, in what could prove to be a season-defining Derby clash ahead of the final month of the regular season. Needless to say, no additional motivation is needed.
