It was a perfect day for soccer in the Bronx. The sun was shining as the team returned to Yankee Stadium to host the San Jose Earthquakes. NYCFC was enjoying a streak of back-to-back victories in their return to the regular season. While the victory against Toronto was payback for the defeat a few weeks ago, the 5-4 scoreline raised some concerns in regards to the team’s ability to defend set-piece plays. However, Alexander Callens dismissed those concerns prior to the match. “I’m happy to see that the guys are starting to feel more comfortable with their roles, I wasn’t happy with the mistakes, but these things happen. We addressed these issues in training and we will improve for the match against San Jose”. The match was set and with the momentum on NYCFC’s side, the climb to the top of the conference was assured.
Keaton Parks leads the way
The earthquakes surprised more than one with their approach to the game. Their focus on the wings as their area of attack led to some scares during the first half. Thankfully that helped Callens display his defensive abilities with some acrobatic clearances. Sean Johnson had some key interventions as well, from long-distance shots to set-piece clearances, he was there to keep the team in the game. San Jose’s constant high pressing unsettled NYCFC, so much that they had a few turnovers that could have been critical. It was unusual to see the team not gain control, you can say that San Jose did shake things up a bit in the beginning. Talles Magno did however come close after his header from a corner kick hit the post, but even the follow-up didn’t find the back of the net.
The team was able to keep the result leveled for the second half and managed to change the game plan to turn things around. The return of two key assets gave the team more options for the approach to be more aggressive. Maxime Chanot, and Maxi Morales both made the bench after recovering from their respective injuries, but just how fit were they to enter the game in difficult circumstances? After all, it was anyone’s game up to that point. Unfortunately, NYCFC couldn’t catch a break after Malte Amundsen came off with an injury 55 minutes into the second half. Chris Gloster stepped into the field as his replacement, a substitution that closed the game in style down the line. What followed was perhaps San Jose’s last attempt to score, a shot from outside the box by Eric Remedi almost caught Johnson in a bad position, but he was able to make the save. The match took a complete turn in the 65th minute with the introduction of two game-changers from the bench.
The crowd in attendance saw the long-awaited return of Maxi Morales. The midfielder would prove to be the team’s secret weapon once again. He was joined by the club’s newest signing Gabriel Pereira. The message was clear, win the game at all costs, and believe me when I tell you that they got to work right away. The team only took 10 minutes to push San Jose back to their own half. The connection in the midfield was instant. Maxi, Parks, and Santiago Rodriguez completely took control of the field leading to the first goal of the match. The Build-up between Talles and Keaton Parks was able to break San Jose’s defensive line. It was great to see the crowd cheer Keaton’s name after the goal. I honestly didn’t see that much joy and excitement from the stands since Villa was around. The midfielder scores his second goal of the season and continues to win over the hearts of fans. Gabriel Pereira followed in his footsteps and wrote his name on the scoreboard in the 78th minute. The young Brazilian continues to show his class with his second goal in the same amount of games. Pereira scored his first goal for the club last week against Toronto.
Chris Gloster was the man in charge to close out the game. The defender has seen more competitive minutes this season after playing with NYCFC II. His performances with the new squad have contributed to the improvement in his playing style. Something that was in full display with his run down the wing after a long pass from Maxi Morales. The strike by Gloster closed out the game in favor of NYCFC and signaled his first goal with the first team. It was the perfect end to a difficult match. The final result allows NYCFC to climb into the top spots of the eastern conference and continues their scoring streak.
The upcoming match against Kansas City sees NYCFC arrive with an impressive 14 goals scored. Queens is set for yet another electrifying match