Sunday’s game against New England was the third game between the two clubs in recent weeks and Bruce Arena’s men finally found the answer and got the win. For NYCFC it was a pedestrian performance from a team that looked more like the team fans saw in the MLS is Back tourney than the team in recent weeks.

Teal Bunbury completed a quick give and go with Lee Nguyen in the third minute and exposed NYCFC’s back line in the third minute to set the tone on Sunday. From the start City looked slow and listless, always a bit behind on the pass and never able to complete that final ball into the back of the net.

The game found NYCFC chasing a goal for most of the match and creating a few chances but time and time again New England looked like the more energetic team. The visitors added another goal off a penalty kick from Nguyen in the 80th minute and City looked doomed to failure. Some spark of hope came in extra time when Alexander Callens headed a ball home off a corner kick but it was too little and too late to make a difference in the final result. Ronny Deila was disappointed in the team’s performance after the game.

“I think we started the game poorly. Then we got more into it after a while. The last 15-20 minutes of the first half, I had a feeling we were going to score but we did not take our chances. In the second half it was a chase for getting a goal…We did not open them enough and we did not take our chances, and at the same time we gave them too much. I always felt like we were a half yard too late offensively and defensively. If this about fatigue or if we are not in the right state of mind, it is difficult for me to say, but that was not our best performance.”

Sadly it was a performance fans have seen before as NYCFC struggled to score goals before their recent run of form. The loss of players like Heber, Maxi Moralez, and Alexandru Mirtrita have hamstrung the creativity in attack. NYCFC started the year as one of the deepest teams in the league but now, because of injuries and loan spells, they look thin off the bench. The constant parade of games seem to be taking their toll on the players. James Sands spoke openly about the poor performance against New England and how the early goal forced them to adapt.

A goal that early really sets you back and it takes you a while to find the game. I think it took us too long to kind of figure out how to break down their pressure. It was tough for us because they were kind of playing man to man across the field. It was a good learning experience for us, just knowing how to deal with that for next time. It kind of threw us for a loop in the first half, I think it got better as the game went but a silly PK given away in the end and [we had]two mistakes. [A] tough loss but [the]next game is soon so [a]quick turnaround.”

Wednesday the team travel to Orlando to face the squad who beat them handily the last time the two clubs played. It is a quick turn around indeed and NYCFC will have to find the legs and the mental acuity to compete down the stretch as the schedule only gets harder.