By: Juan Carlos Maygua | Twitter: @Juan_C71
The Boys in Blue returned to Queens for another home fixture of the regular season. The victory midweek against D.C. United placed them a win away from first place. It wasn’t an easy task as Chicago Fire arrived with a draw from their match against the Red Bulls. If you add that Chicago had Xaquiri as their primary asset, the team was up for a challenge. I doubt that not having Castellanos would imply extra pressure right? In fact, The reading of the match had two storylines. Was the team going to successfully stop Xaquiri? But most importantly, Could the team score without Taty on the field? Both are great questions that were answered to some extent after the match.
Heber shines
The last fixture at Citi Field was not a good reference, a scoreless draw didn’t sit well with fans. The strikers couldn’t capitalize on their chances and left many wondering just how much the team could suffer once Taty leaves for Europe. But if you ask me, they have the quality to adapt to any difficult scenario. Sometimes all you need is time to prepare. Nevertheless, the idea was there, and Heber was the man to lead the attack against Chicago Fire. He was joined by Thiago Andrade and Gabriel Pereira upfront as Talles Magno stayed on the bench. Santiago Rodriguez and Maxi Moralez were in charge of pulling the strings in midfield. In fact, they were responsible for the first shot on goal against Chicago, so the team meant business. The corner kick from Maxi found an unmarked Rodriguez, unfortunately, his shot was cleared on the line. The team continued to press with corner kicks and forced a penalty in their favor. A handball inside the box gave Heber a chance to take the penalty in the 22nd minute. The Brazilian capitalized on his opportunity and praised how Maxi allowed him to take the penalty. “He knew how important it was and told me to take it”.
Following the goal, the team managed to gain a level of control. The first half was a one-team show for the delight of fans. Heber was the main focus to start the counterattacks. He won the majority of aerial duels that he was involved with, creating space for Thiago or Maxi Moralez to make runs on the wings. Personally speaking, I saw a more dynamic Heber, especially with his involvement in the build-up of plays. It’s great to see the Brazilian return to his best form after this knee injury. Although, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for NYCFC. The ghosts of that last match came back to haunt the team. The Boys in blue managed to create three clear goalscoring counterattacks. Two of those were not finished correctly due to a poor last touch or a bad movement off the ball. However, the third chance is perhaps the one that hurt the most. Maxi was able to break away from two defenders down the midfield, placing a perfect pass for Thiago Andrade to have a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Unfortunately, it was a chance that went wide of the goal in an inexplicable fashion. But then again it’s easier said than done.
The second half was tough for NYCFC. They lost a total of three players due to injury throughout the match. I have to clarify that Gabriel Pereira was the first case early during the first half. Thiago Andrade left the field towards the end of the match after having cramp issues. The injuries are certainly not the best news for the upcoming matches for NYCFC, but I’m sure they will manage. In terms of the game, we saw another great display by Alexander Callens and the defensive line. They managed to neutralize Xaquiri for practically the entire match. He was nowhere to be found except for the freekick that he placed off target.“We train with great players, so I don’t think facing him will be different”. I guess Amundsen was right.
It was an amazing game overall. The atmosphere was amazing throughout the 90 minutes, hearing fans joining the chants as one was great. Trumpets with “Dale New York” is probably something that will only be seen in Queens. “The support of the fans is always important, they push us to get the 3 points”, Said Callens after the match. Heber also dedicated his goal to the supporters. “It’s the first goal that I score in front of the fans since 2019. Thank you to the fans for always sending me positive messages, the goal is for them”.
The win places NYCFC at the top of the eastern conference. The next match will be on Wednesday for the U.S. Open Cup against New England Revolution.
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