New York City Football Club deservedly edged an instant nine-goal classic at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s Five Points, presented by Etihad Airways.
Five On It
There have been occasions in 2022 where profligacy has cost NYCFC in front of goal but that couldn’t have been further from the truth vs. Toronto this time.
It hadn’t looked like that was going to be the case midway through the first half when the home side somehow found themselves two goals down but from there, everything Ronny Deila’s men touched turned to goal.
Taty Castellanos shrugged off his luckless disallowed equalizer with a brilliant sliding finish right before halftime to light the kindle for the turnaround before the irrepressible Thiago arrived at the back post on the other side of the interval to level things up.
Further strikes from Santiago Rodríguez, Keaton Parks and a first goal for Gabriel Pereira made it an unforgettable afternoon for the 17k inside Citi Field.
It wasn’t just the number of goals scored but the quality of each which will linger in the memory long after this 2022 MLS regular season.
Comeback Kings of Queens
It was Joe Tolleson on the YES Network’s postgame interview who drew Ronny’s attention to the fact this was the first time in Club history NYCFC had retrieved a two-goal deficit to win.
For Deila, this spoke volumes to the character of his team, as well as the talent but it must have been extra satisfying too for those involved in the unfortunate defeat at BMO Field a few weeks back when Talles Magno was wrongly denied a penalty early in the match.
It’s this steely mentality that could carry NYCFC forward to more glory on numerous fronts over the course of this still-young campaign.
Future is Blue
Deila also drew attention to the fact there were just three players over the age of 25 in the starting XI on Sunday.
That speaks to the squad construction undertaken to build for the future and to give opportunities to young players - something Ronny has done throughout his managerial career.
To do this while remaining competitive is one thing, but to play with this dominant attacking style and to raise trophies is even more impressive and is an exciting premise for the months and years ahead.
New York City Parks >>>
Perhaps the biggest celebration of the afternoon came when Keaton Parks notched his first goal since returning from a serious leg injury that prematurely ended his 2021 season.
The Texan midfielder has been carefully reintroduced to the team this term and has looked stronger and stronger as the weeks have passed, culminating in this return to the starting lineup and his finish from close range.
With performances like this, it can surely only be a matter of time before the 24-year-old adds to his international cap with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Joga Bonito
The cherry on top arrived late in the piece when second half substitute Gabriel Pereira produced perhaps the best finish of the five with his impossibly cool side foot into the corner.
A nonchalant pass into the net and his first for the Club, it was the kind of finish that spoke to supreme confidence and technique - something NYCFC seem to have in abundance between the fleet-footed South American contingent at the sharp end of the field.
San Jose Earthquakes are the next visitors to Yankee Stadium on Sunday as NYCFC look to continue a run of 11 goals in two games and to put on another show for fans who turned out in force and made it a party at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon.
