A trip to St Louis was in the books for NYCFC’s second fixture of the season. This was the first time both teams were going to face each other, so the motivation to get a good result was there from the start. Both home advantage and confidence were key factors in another disappointing night for The Boys in Blue. Can they revert the situation ahead of the home opener next week? Or are we all in for a very long season?
NYCFC’s Struggles Continue
There’s not much that resonates positively with the team after the ongoing results. St Louis took the initiative from the start of the match, from passing flow to the pressing system, and everything was executed perfectly, at least to St Louis’s standards.
The locals were able to hold off NYCFC to an impressive one shot on target throughout most of the match. It took nearly 30 minutes for the attempt to take place. Beyond that, it was all for the home team. They were confident, so all they did was tap into their ongoing struggles to find the desired result.
Despite having Perea back in midfield, the team lacked creativity. Santiago Rodriguez never found clear pathways to create danger, and the opposition constantly marked Parks, making Perea’s impact fall short. If you add that defensively, the team continues to show deficiencies, and the overall picture does not look good. At times, it feels like the team stops trying and just runs down the clock.
These are all concerning points ahead of the home opener against Portland over the weekend. How can the team play as a unit again? Are the visitors going to stretch out the ongoing negative streak for NYCFC? The first game at home can set the tone for the season if you ask me.
Yes, it’s the third game of the season, but the energy around the team makes it seem like they are still in 2023. At the time of writing, NYCFC sits last in the overall MLS ranking. If that doesn’t push a change within the squad, there’s no turning back, and as I said, we would only be three games into the new season.
We can sit here and blame whoever we think is responsible for the ongoing results. But as long as they don’t address these issues within, there’s not much anyone can do.
The quality and technique are there but if there’s no commitment even a manager change won’t be able to solve the problem. This scenario might be extreme to talk about, but the majority of the fanbase is pushing this idea. The exchange between the manager and Santiago Rodriguez doesn’t help the situation either. Hopefully, this doesn’t condition the team moving forward, but it’s a situation to consider if things don’t improve.
New York City Football Club returns to Yankee Stadium against Portland this upcoming weekend. See you guys at the Home Opener.