New York City FC head coach Jason Kreis made two key changes ahead of the rematch against the Philadelphia Union on Thursday evening at Yankee Stadium.
Knowing his club had to be the aggressor, Kreis inserted midfielder Javier Calle at left back and forward Khiry Shelton at right midfield.
Both MLS rookies played well and earned praise from their teammates.
"I thought he was excellent," goalie Josh Saunders said of Calle. "I thought he gave us a very dynamic option going forward and completed a lot of good passes. I thought he did very well."
Calle had 44 passes, while Shelton had 41. The Colombian also had a match-high 11 crosses. Shelton, the second overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft out of Oregon State University, showcased his speed on the wing, chasing down balls in open space. He also remained strong when receiving the ball before assisting Mehdi Ballouchy's goal in the 57th minute.
"I was very excited to hear that I was going to be starting," Shelton said. "I did everything in my power to try to get a win for the guys today, but I was unlucky with the chances I had, but it will come over time."
Shelton has seen time in five matches in his rookie season. Thursday was his first-ever start.
Flair for the Dramatic
New York City FC has had their fair share of heartbreak so far in the early stages of their debut season in Major League Soccer.
The Club's first-ever match was spoiled by a deflected free kick goal by Kaka in stoppage time. More recently, the Philadelphia Union have played spoiler, snatching a 2-1 victory at PPL Park thanks to a stoppage-time goal and rallying for a draw on Thursday evening due to another late goal.
New York City FC has given up just five goals through their first six matches in club history, but three of them have occurred in the 86th minute or later.
DATE |
OPPONENT |
SCORER |
MINUTE |
RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
3/8/15 |
at Orlando City SC |
Kaka |
91' |
1-1 D |
3/28/15 |
vs. Sporting KC |
Ike Opara |
12' |
1-0 L |
4/11/15 |
at Philadelphia |
Zach Pfeffer |
27' |
2-1 L |
Vincent Nogueira |
92' |
2-1 L |
||
4/16/15 |
vs. Philadelphia |
C.J. Sapong |
86' |
1-1 D |
Rebounding Timbers
Since the 2013 season, the Timbers have won eight times immediately following a loss. While suffering consecutive losses just twice during that span, Portland is 8-2-5 overall in matches directly following a defeat, including a recent 3-1 victory over FC Dallas on April 4 (which followed a 2-1 loss at Vancouver on March 28).
The Timbers have won their last five matches following a defeat dating back to last season.
DATE |
LOSS |
NEXT MATCH |
DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
3/28/15 |
2-1 at Vancouver |
3-1 W vs. FC Dallas |
4/4/15 |
9/27/14 |
3-2 at Toronto FC |
2-1 W at San Jose |
10/4/14 |
8/24/14 |
4-2 vs. Seattle |
3-0 W at Vancouver |
8/30/14 |
8/2/14 |
3-1 at Los Angeles |
2-0 W vs. Chivas USA |
8/9/14 |
7/13/14 |
2-0 at Seattle |
2-1 W vs. Colorado |
7/18/14 |
6/27/14 |
1-0 vs. Sporting KC |
2-2 D at Los Angeles |
7/4/14 |
6/16/14 |
4-3 vs. Vancouver |
3-1 W at Real Salt Lake |
6/7/14 |
4/19/14 |
1-0 at Real Salt Lake |
1-1 D at Houston |
4/27/14 |
3/29/14 |
2-1 at FC Dallas |
4-4 D vs. Seattle |
4/5/14 |
3/22/14 |
2-0 at Colorado |
2-1 L at FC Dallas |
3/29/14 |
8/30/13 |
4-2 at Real Salt Lake |
4-0 W vs. Toronto FC |
9/7/14 |
8/25/13 |
1-0 at Seattle |
4-2 L at Real Salt Lake |
8/30/13 |
7/27/13 |
2-1 at San Jose |
1-1 D vs. Vancouver |
8/3/13 |
7/7/13 |
1-0 at Columbus |
2-1 W vs. Los Angeles |
7/13/13 |
3/9/13 |
2-1 vs. Montreal |
1-1 D at Seattle |
3/16/13 |
