Wednesday Night in the Bronx left New York City Football Club fans scratching their heads in confusion and frustration as the team fell to the New England Revolution. It was never going to be an easy game on a short week with eight players missing due to injury or international duty. It was a game NYCFC needed to win to keep pace in the race for first in the Eastern Conference. It was a game that saw dominate in every category but the one that mattered most.
New England was out shot twenty eight to eleven and NYCFC enjoyed sixty five percent of possession. It looked for most of the night like all NYCFC had to do was find the net, but the Revs weathered the storm. Brian Wright’s seventy first minute goal against the run of play put New England ahead for good and sent NYCFC chasing an equalizer just to salvage a point. NYCFC had their chances. Maxi Moralez missed an open net. David Villa sent several shots just wide. Every time NYCFC put itself into a good position to score the final pass or the shot let them down.
Head Coach Domenec Torrent summed it up after the game. “I’m not happy but I’m not worried about the result because today they played really well. The difference is you have to be clinical when you have the chance. I’m not angry with them but I agree, when you look at the sport in general it’s about the result, not the play. Right now the battle is not over for us.”
Indeed it is not. The schedule is not kind. NYCFC have a short turn around and must face a surging DC United team on Saturday at home. DC beat Atlanta United last weekend and have been in very good form of late. NYCFC must correct the course and quickly. The must also do it without Alex Ring who will have to sit due to yellow card accumulation.
A bright spot on the evening was the play of James Sands. He made his first start for the club in the holding midfield role and played very well. He seemed more than up to the task of the first team.
“It was a shame for Jimmy because he deserved to win the game because for me he played really, really well. Jimmy is our future here. I’m very happy for Jimmy. For me he played really well and I can say that he will play the next game, ” Torrent said.
Sands seems a lock to start again on Saturday with Ring gone. NYCFC’s once overpopulated midfield now seem surprisingly thin. In fact, NYCFC may have a problem having a full team sheet as nine players are now slated to miss the match.
The Supporter’s shield race may have ended on Wednesday night but NYCFC showed they can still play and be more than competitive with the players they have. It is not easy to win in the Bronx and DC will have their work cut out for them whoever takes the pitch. Hopefully the team can build on this loss and use it as motivation for the next game. There is still something to play for as that all important first round playoff bye is still up for grabs.
After Saturday, the bewildering MLS schedule gives NYCFC twelve days off to lick it’s wounds and hopefully get some key players back from injury and international call ups. A loss on Saturday sees them falling further behind ATL and Red Bulls. It is almost a must win. If NYCFC can find their shooting boots then it is entirely possible to pull it out.
