New York City Football Club struck in the dying embers of the game yesterday against Columbus Crew to take a point out of their match at home in the Bronx. For NYCFC, it is an alarming trend.
NYCFC have not won a game since April 22nd. They have played ten games across all competitions during that time and have a stunning 0-6-4 record to show for it. In their last four games at home, they have only gathered two points, scored only three goals and conceded seven. Something is not right with the team.
They consistently control the majority of possession but don’t create enough good chances to put the ball in the back of the net and ultimately fall victim to an easy counter attack or a goal against the run of play. That was the case again on Saturday.
In a largely evenly matched affair, Columbus took advantage just after halftime. As many NYCFC players complained to the referee about a call, the Crew kept playing soccer and inbounded the ball to Alexandru Matan who streaked by James Sands and sent a cross into the box for a tap in for Christian Ramirez. It was a well worked goal but also one of NYCFC’s own making. All three defensive players were more concerned about complaining than what was happening on the pitch and ultimately could not keep up once the ball was played in.
Jun 17, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Santiago Rodriguez (10) receives a yellow card from an official during the second half against Columbus Crew SC at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
NYCFC would press for the rest of the second half to try and equalize but it seemed futile until in the fourth minute of stoppage time Gabe Segal capitalized off a deflected ball that fell to him. He trapped the ball nicely off his chest and sent it past the Columbus keeper to salvage something out of the match.
Jun 17, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC forward Gabriel Segal (19) celebrates his goal against Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Patrick Schulte (28) during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
For NYCFC, it was a draw that possibly felt like a win because of the way the game played out, but it simply was not good enough, especially at home. The team have not had a convincing win since they played Dallas to a 3-1 score line at home back in April almost two months ago. There have been injuries to key players, yes, and there has been a tough stretch on the road, but for a team that consistently challenges for the top of the East it has not been good enough. Now NYCFC find themselves halfway through the season and sitting three pint off a place in the expanded playoffs.
Nick Cushing summed it up after the match. “It doesn’t feel like a win because it’s a draw at home. We are used to, in past years, being strong at home. And the aim for us and the desire is to be that team. We are on the right path, I believe. The performance is enough to win, but there are elements we have to improve.” This all sounds good unless you have heard it after every game for the last nine games, and NYCFC fans have. Cushing has said a version of this after each match and told fans to look back at the Dallas game to what this team could be.
But his excuses are wearing thin. Because of one reason or another Cushing has not started the same line up that dominated Dallas since that game. Yes, there have been injuries, but there have also been inexplicable experiments. The sad fact is that David Lee has dropped the ball a bit on roster construction. NYCFC consistently start one of the youngest line ups in the league because of the departure of key veterans like Maxi Moralez, Sean Johnson, and Alexander Callens from last year’s squad. These key pieces have not been replaced and the results are showing. Now NYCFC will lose James Sands for possibly the next six games because of international duty and the Gold Cup. It is a loss that exposes an already thin roster even more.
Already, “Cushing Out” signs are appearing in the stands and their were more on Saturday. Cushing was asked about it after the game “Really disappointing for me because it’s not nice to see. But ultimately every person has their opinion. It’s part of the game. All I can do is thank the Third Rail. They’ve been incredible for me and the fans that are behind me are incredibly supportive. I actually saw two boys with ‘Cushing In’ signs today which really made me smile. Everyone has their opinion of which direction a football club can go in. I remember there were (Ronny) ‘Deila Out’ signs and we won the championship. So if that propels me to win the MLS Cup, I’ll take it all day. For me I think it’s really important that everyone gets behind this team. Support for a young development team of real talent is really important because the guys suffer because they want to win so much for New York.”
Jun 17, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC fans display banners during the second half of the match against the Columbus Crew at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
To point the finger only at Cushing is a mistake. David Lee mush also share some of the burden here. Cushing can only do so much with what he is given. Yes, the team is not creating enough chances and are not clinical in front of the goal when they do, but NYCFC have not had a true number nine since Taty Castellanos left last summer. there are key additions needed to this team to get them back to the level fans and the organization expect. NYCFC will be active in the summer transfer window. Both Cushing and Lee have spoken to that, but with injuries to key players, international duties and a growing sense of unease in the fanbase, July 5 cannot come soon enough. It will be interesting to see if NYCFC can sign some real players to make a difference and dig them out of the hole they find themselves in the Eastern Conference.
