NYCFC Goals: Ring 56 mins
LAFC Goals: Urena 16 mins
New York CIty FC played out a 1-1 tie in the team's second preseason scrimmage game vs. LAFC at UCLA on Friday afternoon.
Alex Ring scored a neat second half equaliser after Marcos Urena had put LAFC 1-0 up early on the encounter.
WATCH:Match Highlights - NYCFC 1-1 LAFC
In their first meeting with Major League Soccer's newest team, the Boys in Blue were unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty inside the opening 10 minutes after Yangel Herrera tricked his way into the box and was felled after completing a cheeky nutmeg on an opposition defender.
The referee waved away the heated protests and it was only a couple of minutes later when LAFC doubled down on City's dissatisfaction by taking the lead through Marcos Urena after he was supplied with a tap-in by Latif Blessing on 16'.
It was a more competitive friendly than one might have expected in this early stage of preseason, with tackles flying in, including a rough one from Urena on Chanot which went unpunished, while Cedric Hountondji was not so lucky, leaving the game early with an injury.
The Boys in Blue could have been level on 30' after some clever interplay between Herrera and McNamara but, although the Venezuelan caught his volley clean, it sailed over the crossbar.
0-1 was how it stayed through half-time but it only remained that way for ten second half minutes as Finland international Ring curled in a beauty from range, bending the ball around the goalkeeper into the corner of the net with his left foot.
It was a day to remember for Academy talents Justin Haak, Vini Lansade, Dante Polvara, Joe Scally and Tyler Shaver too, as they came off the bench to test themselves in this senior environment and each one of them showed up well, mixing it against their more experienced counterparts.
In a game of few clear chances, NYCFC came closest to winning the game with 20' to play when Ben Sweat danced to the end line and pulled back a cross which was turned narrowly over the bar by an LAFC defender before anyone in blue could profit.
1-1 was how it stayed and next up, NYCFC take on LA Galaxy in the first proper friendly match of 2018 at the StubHub Center on Saturday night.
NYCFC XI: Johnson, Tinnerholm, Chanot, Hountondji, Sweat, Ring, Herrera, McNamara (C), Lewis, Wallace, Fortune
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