New York City FC recorded a big win against New England Revolution on Saturday.
Goals from Agustín Ojeda and Julián Fernández gave City a 2-0 win.
Here are Five Points from the game...
Trapito
Agustín Ojeda made sure his first start in MLS was memorable.
The Argentine winger broke the deadlock in the second half with a rasping drive that left the goalkeeper no chance. The goal came at a vital time in the contest too with City needing a breakthrough to capitalize on their momentum.
Ojeda’s ability to find the sweet spot between power and precision was impressive and it wasn’t the only good thing the winger did on the night. His intelligence on and off the ball offered City something different in attack.
The winger was brought off after putting in a great shift, and he will no doubt be keen to build on his performance in the coming weeks. A memorable strike, it was made only sweeter by the fact it delivered all three points.
Felicitaciones Agustín!
Clean Sheet
In soccer clean sheets equal points.
Many of the world’s best coaches believe the foundation for a championship winning team is a solid defence and that starts typically with clean sheets.
Saturday’s win over New England Revolution represented City’s first clean sheet of the campaign and it was a hard-fought one. New England boast a wealth of attacking talent, and while they certainly tested Matt Freese they did not find the goal they so desperately desired.
Securing that first clean sheet of the season was always going to be important and now the task it to repeat it again and again.
Team Effort
On a night when two wonder strikes and a handful of great saves gave City the win, it would be easy to focus on individual moments.
Instead, it is important to remember that soccer is a team game. Nick Cushing praised the group after the match, and he was not wrong. The team simultaneously defended well as a group while also working hard to create high quality chances.
That combination is what helped push them past New England, and it was a testament to their hard work as a group – both players and staff.
Cushing has consistently talked about trusting the process as the team seeks to develop chemistry and also improve individually. While City have been unlucky not to claim three points in recent weeks, their strong showing on Saturday was a big step forward, and hopefully it can be the start of something magical.
Second Goal
While City were able to keep a clean sheet it shouldn't be understated how important Julián Fernández's goal was.
The winger's driving run and delightful curled finish added to his already growing list of wonder strikes for the Club. More importantly, it killed off any hope New England had of getting back into the game. City have chased that vital second goal in recent weeks and been unable to find it - forcing them to settle for two ties.
That wasn't the case on Saturday and the players should take huge confidence from how they achieved the three points. City dominated the expected goals on the night, but converting that into a result was a big moment for this group in terms of realizing their potential. The key now is to build on this and keep pushing forward.
Thank You
The noise didn’t stop at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
The Boys in Blue brought their talents and you matched it with amazing energy throughout. You showed the rest of the league why the players and staff love playing in the Bronx and why visiting teams often struggle.
The team has three more home games coming up during this stretch and we know your levels won’t drop, so thank you.
We can’t wait for more time with the City fam this Saturday.
