Credit NYCFC Nation
By Juan Carlos Maygua
The importance that this game had both in the sporting and sentimental aspect was high, to say the least. First, because NYCFC came from a tough defeat in D.C. last week, so there was a sense of urgency to turn things around. The sentimental perspective saw the return of fans to the stadium. For the city that was hit the most during the pandemic, fans returning signaled a glimpse of normality. In one way or another, this game will be down in the history books.
Dominating from beginning to end
The atmosphere was set, fans singing, chicken bucket song ready and the boys in blue in the hunt for a victory. Overall, the first half saw F.C. Cincinnati played defensively and barely came out of their own half. The home fans were eager to see a former player return, Ronald Mattarrita who joined Cincinnati this season. Luckily for New York, he didn’t do much damage throughout the whole game. The boys in blue, however, didn’t waste any time and decided to set the tempo of the game scoring in the 6th minute through Jesus Medina. The goal ironically came from a corner kick, a set piece that was not favorable for the team last week. From that point on the dominance was more than clear, Maxi Morales showcased his ability in a solo play in the 32nd minute. Cincinnati did create dangerous plays in the final minutes of the half, but nothing too dangerous for Sean Johnson.
NYCFC continued the high pressing and dominance in the second half. While the goals kept on coming, some of them had a lot of luck involved. This in the context of how they took place. For example, Valentin Castellanos scored off a corner kick shot, but the shot was clearly going off target. Maxime Chanot also scored, but it was ruled as an own goal. Although the game’s best moment came after Medina’s second goal, which sealed the 5-0 victory over Cincinnati. The play itself was unexpected, I’m sure it was an attempt to put the ball in the box, but Medina’s shot/cross ended up in the back of the net. I’m sure many of us expected the win, but not with that much difference, excellent victory, nonetheless.
Ronny Deila on facing Philadelphia and fans returning
I had the opportunity to ask the Manager if the team is ready to face Philadelphia because of today’s result and performance by the team, to which he responded.
“it’s a totally different game, they were one of the best teams last year, so it’s going to be a tough game but we have to believe in ourselves. When we work as hard as we did today, and we follow the game plan we’re a tough team to play against. Now we got to have a good game preparation against Philadelphia, and hopefully, we can get some fans in there as well. It was unbelievable to feel the atmosphere in Yankee Stadium, I know it’s not at full capacity, so I have to thank the fans. It was nice to see them again”.
My colleague Alonso Contreras asked Jesus Medina if he was the target in the first goal and if the two goals from today gave him more confidence for the game against Philadelphia. He emphasized that set pieces are the parts that the team works the most and that he (Medina) tries to be at the end of the plays. In terms of the momentum towards the next game, he feels confident that the team continues with the high pressing style. The team also brushed away the pressure with today’s result, making things far more interesting for the upcoming games.
In summary, it was a bitter return for Matarrita. There were two first-team appearances today as well, Alfredo Morales coming in from the bench in the second half and defender TayvonGray who made his professional debut with the team. Nicolas “Cacha” Acevedo got a warm reception from the home fans, signaling a promising future for the midfielder this season. The team now focuses on the upcoming game while keeping the winning streak record over Cincinnati. I’m sure Sean Johnson is keeping track in terms of stats. Great win, and as always, great to be alongside such devoted fans, see you next time.