New York City FC returned to action for the Leagues Cup after beating New England. The win brought them face-to-face against Liga MX side Club Tigres (Tigres UANL). It was a complicated fixture for the home team. Tigres took the win in their previous meeting, and they returned as one of the favorites to make the final. New York City needed to leave behind the struggles against New England to get the result at home.
One step forward in Harrison
Everything was on the line for both teams, so there was no room for mistakes. Club Tigres brought out their best lineup with Marcelo Flores, Javier Aquino, and Nahuel Guzman. New York had to play a near-perfect game, so they also made changes. The most noticeable ones were Alonso Martinez up front and Matt Freese in goal. Maxi Moralez, Santiago Rodriguez, and Hannes Wolf were going to pull the strings on the field for New York. All that was left to do was to hold off Tigres and win the game.
The visitors got off to a good start as expected. Marcelo Flores showcased why he’s one of the top prospects in the game with his first touch. It nearly gave Francisco Cordova the opening goal opportunity, but Matt Freese was there to deny his header shot. The ‘Boys in Blue’ reacted quickly and responded with a chance of their own within 3 minutes. A great dribble by both Parks and Santiago Rodriguez allowed Alonso Martinez to create a chance that forced Nahuel Guzman to make a good save at goal.
However, it was Tigres who came out on top after that back-to-back exchange. Javier Aquino and Marcelo Flores took over the game in the first 16 minutes of the match. New York was unable to move up front comfortably due to Tigres’ constant pressing in midfield. The visitors had their reward within the 18th minute after a follow-up cross left Guido Pizarro unmarked inside the box. His header left Matt Freese unable to react to put Tigres ahead.
It seemed like it was an uphill battle for New York City, given how much they struggle when they have to come from behind. It was unexpected and surprising to see that they were able to find the equalizing goal almost immediately after Tigres scored. The play started and finished with Maxi Moralez. His attempt to find Alonso Martinez was anticipated, but he followed up on the play and got the ball back inside the box. He was left with enough space to cross his shot and beat Nahuel Guzman for the equalizer.
With the score leveled again, both teams tried to find a way to regain the lead. It was here where players like Keaton Parks and Christian McFarlane stood out for me. Keaton seemed to have more freedom and agility in comparison to other matches. His touches with the ball and his ability to hold off tackles allowed him to free up space for Santiago Rodriguez or whoever was in the attacking third. McFarlane impressed me with his speed and movements off the ball. The team centralized the majority of its attacks, so his runs on the wing were not capitalized on as much as they should have. But whenever he had the ball with enough space his speed was unmatched.
The second half continued with the same intensity for both teams. Tigres decided to make some changes to cope with the injury from Diego Reyes in the first half. However, this time it was New York who struck first. Unfortunately, Alonso Martinez couldn’t connect with the ball properly to find the target. Tigres followed up with a header by Jonathan Herrera from a corner kick. Fortunately for New York, his header hit the bar and the game remained level. I’m sure that if Tigres scored in that play the outcome of the game would have been different. But the tone of the game was a constant back-and-forth from each team.
New York City found the game-winning goal after a quick-thinking moment by Santiago Rodriguez. The midfielder was able to intercept a pass and quickly connected with Maxi Moralez for a quick wall touch to find the back of the net. He continues to be one of the team’s key members this season with 3 goals in the Leagues Cup already. The connection with Maxi Moralez deserves a special mention. They have been lethal in the final third since Moralez returned from injury.
Tigres would go on to try and turn things around with Andre-Pierre Gignac coming from the bench. The French striker is a legend for both the club and Liga MX as one of the most lethal goalscorers in the last few years. Unfortunately for him, Tayvon Gray had a great game with New York and didn’t let anything get past him practically the entire game. There was a point where the game turned physical, but not enough for things to boil over. Nahuel Guzman was perhaps the most active player from Tigres despite being a goalkeeper. Despite his strong temper, he was unable to channel that energy to find the equalizing goal. Gignac failed to make an impact on the game and Tigres bid farewell to the Leagues Cup.
The win sets New York City against Columbus Crew in the upcoming round. The Boys in Blue will face the MLS champion for a place in the semifinals. The reigning MLS champions have home-field advantage for the match on Saturday, but the momentum could be with New York if things pan out as planned. While it’s still too soon for predictions, I think that New York City FC can push for a place in the final. But for now, the team focuses on Columbus. How far can they go? Could a championship run be in the works? Questions are only days away from finding an answer, but as always we should always go step by step.