Friday night, NYCFC had something to prove. They had been beaten in two nail-biter games earlier this season by the Columbus Crew. Games NYCFC feel like they should have won were it not for the freekick mastery of Lucas Zelarayan. Games that NYCFC dominated on the stat line but not on the score line. On Friday New York City made a statement.
Were it not for a meaningless penalty kick given my referee Alan Kelly in stoppage time NYCFC would have been totally dominant in vanquishing the Crew. The 4-1 score line did not fully reflect the team’s performance in a game where NYCFC had more shots on goal than Columbus had total shots.
“To be fair we could score even more goals.” said Anton Tinnerholm after the match. “We’re not gonna (just) push for a playoff spot, we’re going for that number one seed.”
The win Friday puts them within striking distance of that top seed. City sit third in the Eastern Conference behind New England and Orlando, but they also hold games in hand on both of the clubs above them. With NYCFC beating Orlando 5-0 in the last game anything is possible.
Friday night was the win many analysts have been waiting for. NYCFC’s statistics on expected goals this year have consistently far exceeded the reality of balls in the back of the net, but in the past three games they have outscored opponents by ten goals to two. This is a good sign that things are finally clicking in New York.
On Friday, Valentin Castellanos added to his season tally with a header in the fourteenth minute. He has been the subject of recent criticism for his lack of recent goals, but now he has found the back of the net in back to back games.
Jul 30, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC forward Thiago Andrade (8) walks off the field after being subbed out during the second half against the Columbus Crew SC at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Next up new signing, Thiago Andrade, proved he is worth every cent spent in acquiring him by outpacing the defender and one touch chipping the keeper for the second of the night. Keaton Parks would add a third early in the second half, nutmegging Eloy Room in goal (off of a nutmeg assist from Thiago.) Finally the newest addition to the team, Santiago Rodriguez, would score his first goal in New York blue off a pass from Maxi Moralez.
It was a dominant performance at home from a team that consistently exposed the Columbus back line and at times made them look like they were standing still.
Ronny Deila praised his team after the match. “First of all, we love to play at home. We love to have our fans there. It is special. You don’t just score goals because of the stadium. It is a factor. It’s because we play really good football. We are very disciplined. We are very organized. We are playing each other in good situations and then you can see how many goals we had. Everybody plays to make teammates good and you create a lot of chances.”
Jul 30, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Santiago Rodriguez (42) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Columbus Crew SC during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Deila has been speaking about those chances all season using them as an excuse for score lines that did not fit the statistical narrative. Disappointing losses earlier in the summer to Montreal and twice to Columbus had many doubting if NYCFC could turn those chances into goals. On Friday the team made a statement. They can score. They can score in bunches and any team facing them needs to be wary. If they can score this many against top of the table teams like Orlando and Columbus, what happens when struggling teams like Chicago and Toronto face them? Fans with get an answer to that question this week and it could be another statement.
