New York City FC recorded a huge win against the San Jose Earthquakes on Friday night.
Goals from Hannes Wolf, Santiago Rodríguez, and an Alonso Martínez hat trick gave City a 5-1 result.
Here are Five Points from the game…
Masterclass
“He played like he was 21-years-old,” Nick Cushing said after the game.
Cushing’s assessment of Maxi Moralez’s cameo was not incorrect. The talented playmaker took to the field in the second half, and within his first few touches it looked like he’d never spent a second away from Yankee Stadium.
The 37-year-old's ability to control the tempo of a game sets him apart from so many of his peers, and the reception he received when returning to the field said so much about his reputation with fans.
Breaking the lines with precise passes, his assist for Alonso Martínez confirmed a storybook ending to his first game back with the team. Moralez did not misplace a pass on the night, and the 37-year-old will now have two weeks to prepare for City’s next game.
Record Breaker
Martínez left Yankee Stadium with the match ball on Friday.
The striker’s hat trick was further evidence of his impressive talent and that is why Sporting Director David Lee and Head Coach Nick Cushing were so keen to bring Martínez to New York.
The Costa Rican’s blend of soccer IQ, speed, and composure in front of goal helped secure the fastest hat trick in Club history, with his total tally for the season now standing at six goals in ten games.
¡ Felicitaciones Alonso! You’re now in the history books.
Adaptability
Although on paper Friday’s win against San Jose looked like a comfortable evening for City it was not without its challenges.
The first of those tests presented itself just before kickoff, with Thiago Martins withdrawn from the starting XI due to muscle tightness. In his place came Strahinja Tanasijević. The Serbian defender performed well on short notice and helped limit San Jose to few chances on the night.
Elsewhere, Kevin O’Toole was unfortunate to pull up with a hamstring issue in the first half, and that required Tayvon Gray to switch sides and fill in at left-back, which he did incredibly well.
In the second half, City took a deserved lead through Hannes Wolf only to concede an equalizer three minutes later.
As Nick Cushing confirmed in his post-game press conference, City did not want to sit back after conceding that goal, preferring instead to attack the situation. As well as wanting to win the game, Cushing also explained the decision was partially motivated by a desire to deliver the kind of football he feels the Club's fans deserve.
That ambition was best demonstrated by Cushing’s decision to make several attacking substitutions. That mentality delivered a 5-1 victory and a big finish for City as they prepare to enter a bye week. Just as important as that was City’s adaptability on the night – with that trait a key theme during their sensational winning run of late.
Climb The Charts
Martínez wasn’t the only City player to alter the history books on Friday.
Santiago Rodríguez helped give City the lead early in the second by creating Hannes Wolf's goal. That assist saw him to climb one place in the Club’s all-time assist chart, with only teammate Maxi Moralez ahead of Rodríguez on the list.
As if Santi's 27th assist wasn’t enough, Rodríguez then went one better in the 80th minute as he produced the go-ahead goal, making this already his best season for City in terms of goals scored.
So far in 2024, Rodríguez has 11 goal involvements for City (six goals, five assists), underlining his continued importance to the team.
The Break
New York City FC will enter a two-week break knowing they have made huge strides both home and away. It has been a challenging and busy period for Nick Cushing and his players with a number of challenging games – both home and away – testing the group.
It has been a transformative period for the group as they saw performance match results and a points return of 15 from a possible 18 available. Cushing has consistently stressed the need to trust the process and he has seen that dedication rewarded with an impressive points return.
City won’t linger on this success, however, with their focus shifting to Columbus Crew in two weeks.
