It’s incredible to see how quickly things can change in a short span of time. In a matter of two weeks, the club has gone through some unexpected changes. Ronny Deila left for Standard Liege in Belgium, a new tv deal, and a stadium? If you told me the game against Minnesota was going to unpack so much I would’ve prepared better. But sometimes that’s life, it just happens, and we must deal with the punches it may throw us. Would I have preferred Ronny to stay for one more season? Of course, business is business and they did everything by the books. Luckily the club was quick to put a plan in place to keep things running smoothly. Nick Cushing took over as interim manager for the remainder of the season. It’s good to see that they chose continuity, a change of direction could’ve been catastrophic to the foundation established by the championship last season. The new Tv deal? Everything new is always better, if you add an apple to the mix it’s a power move. Hopefully, they get to keep the voices of the club as they embark on this new project. Losing the iconic duo will break hearts, but only time will tell what the future holds.
Talles Magno to the rescue
Nick Cushing highlighted the fact that he wasn’t going to change things ahead of his role as manager, but Colorado had other plans. The visitors don’t have the best record away from home this season. But knowing that the hosts are under new management always gives you a boost in confidence. Luckily NYCFC was able to set the tempo of the game from the start. Talles Magno was the main man in attack throughout the first half. The Colorado defense was not able to cope with his dribbles on the wings. He was able to get passed defenders a couple of times but the crosses didn’t find the last pass to put the ball in the back of the net. NYCFC’s best chance came in the 35th minute after a good combination between Talles and Castellanos allowed them to push toward goal. Unfortunately, Taty’s shot hit the bar and kept the game leveled. While there was a possible penalty call 10 minutes into the game, it wasn’t too clear from my point of view.
The team continued to showcase dominance in the second half. But there was something that caught my attention as the minutes passed, the team relied too much on producing crosses to the box. They had good ball possession but they insisted on playing the ball to the wings. Once or twice it’s okay, but when you do it constantly you become predictable. There were moments when they had angles to shoot from outside the box, but they never took the opportunity. Again, I can understand that plays from the wings can destabilize the opponent’s defense, but switch it up a bit you know? In fact, I believe Colorado’s goal was related to this need of playing the ball out wide. A bad touch in the midfield caught NYCFC’s defensive line out of position and allowed Michael Barrios to beat Sean Johnson with a low shot to the corner. It was a tough moment to process, the goal ended Johnson’s clean sheet record and it changed the momentum of the match. I could break down the play but let’s just say that the chances you fail to capitalize on come back to haunt you. Nevertheless, it was an opportunity to see how the team responded under the new manager. Do they let the pressure get the best of them? Do they shake themselves up and answer back in no time? Talles Magno took matters into his own hands and scored the equalizer only four minutes later. A cross by Maxi (yes, another cross) found Talles unmarked inside the box. All it took was a chest control, and a scissor kick mid-air leveled the game by the 72 minute. Unfortunately, the score remained for the remainder of the match, but it was a fair result given the circumstances.
In the end, the team continues to be strong in the Bronx and picks up a point in the process. Nick Cushing praised the atmosphere and the value of winning in a place such as Yankee Stadium. “I wasn’t going to change much in terms of methodology because there’s not much to change. I’m happy with how the players prepared throughout the week.” The MVP of the match also emphasized the frustration that the squad felt because of the final result. However, he closed out with a heartwarming revelation. “ I love my grandma, she’s very special to me. She was watching the game with my family in the stands, and I had told her before the game that I was going to score a goal for her. So the goal was for her”.
Oh, yea and before I forget, my perspective on the stadium is as follows. Everything is political, once the stadium proves to be lucrative for all the parties involved, it will be approved immediately. Hopefully hosting the world cup pushes the announcement a bit quicker.
NYCFC will face the Red Bulls on Wednesday for the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open Cup at Red Bull Arena.