Red Bull Arena hosted New York City FC’s final home match of the regular season. Having secured a spot in the playoffs after the win in the derby, the results now aimed to finish the season between the top 4 of the conference. While the best scenario is to win the remaining games, other results could affect how the table looks on Decision Day.
A two-sided match in Harrison
The draw against Inter Miami did become a turning point for the team. Dominating against the city rivals and beating one of the top teams in the conference was a good sign. If we include Orlando City’s result from Saturday night, things looked promising against Nashville. All that was needed to do was win.
Maxi Moralez pushed ahead from kickoff and caught Nashville’s defensive line in a bad position. Santiago Rodriguez took advantage of a bad clearance from the visitors to open the score within 20 seconds from the start of the game. It was the perfect start, but Nashville answered with two chances shortly after. Hany Mukhtar missed an open goal shot in the 7th minute after his rebounded shot was poorly placed. Alex Muyil followed up with a curled shot from outside the box in the 16th minute. It’s unlucky for Nashville because I’m sure the game would have had a different outcome if that shot had gone in.
The Boys in Blue responded quickly through Santiago Rodriguez in the 18th minute following Nahville’s close call. Maxi, Wolf, and Santiago executed the perfect counter-attack to give New York City a 2 goal advantage. By the 20th minute, Alonso Martinez scored the third goal from a set piece. The game gave flashbacks to the win in the derby due to the similarities in the scoreline by the same timeframe. How things were looking at that point, New York City was easily set to score a few more goals at that rate.
Nashville, however, continued to create chances to stay in the game. Their high pressing forced a turnover from Justin Haak near the box. Jacob Shaffelburg found Sam Surridge unmarked, but his shot missed the target. Shaffelburg went on to have two consecutive close calls, but his efforts didn’t find the back of the net. One impressive solo run from midfield and a one-on-one against Freece forced him to take an extra step outside the frame of the goal. Once again, chances that could have balanced the game in Nashville’s favor by halftime.
New York City nearly scored at the start of the second half. Justin Haak placed his shot in the top corner, but it missed the mark. Ironically, that would be New York City’s best chance for the remainder of the half. Nashville would go on and dominate the match from that point on. Muktar and Shaffelburg sent the first warning sign in the 52nd minute with a quick combination that ended in an own goal, but it was ruled out due to an offside position. They would go on and have the same play recreated in the 57th minute, this time Muktar placed the shot past Freece to get one back for Nashville.
The remainder of the half turned physical, with constant fouls in midfield. Santiago Rodriguez and Maxi Moralez were constant targets since they pulled the strings for the team. But if that wasn’t the case, the turnovers from both teams held the game to a standstill toward the last 10 minutes of the half.
Walker Zimmerman had the chance to score the second one for Nashville. Make that two chances in the same play. Freece blocked his header on the first attempt, then his follow-up shot would be off the target by miles. Keep in mind at this point, Freece was beaten, and all that was left to do was to put it in the back of the net, but instead, he went for the powershot. In the end, it wasn’t meant to be for Nashville. Despite having no playoff chances due to a combination of results, they still showed up and challenged New York City for 90 minutes.
While New York City did walk away with a key result, some gray areas should be addressed. On paper, many would see the scoreline and think New York City dominated from start to finish. The same could be said for the game against Cincinnati, seeing a 3-2 scoreline called for a close game. However, both fixtures highlighted the lack of control and ability to close the games. Both rivals managed to put New York City against the robes. The story would have been different if both teams capitalized on their chances.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the rivals pinpoint the team’s weaknesses ahead of the playoffs. There is no room for mistakes after the regular season concludes. One turnover can define how far you go in the playoffs. I’m sure that New York City FC is not aiming to have a short participation in the decisive stages of the season. Can they find the solution to their defensive struggles? Matt Freece could only do so much, after all.
The team now heads to Montreal for Decision Day on October 19th.