3 things we learned from the 1-1 draw between NYCFC and Sporting KC

Surely, fans and the players were still on that insane winning high after New York City FC, despite a poor game, beat Orlando City SC 2-1 as they entered the weekend.  Of course, the concerns with their play and results away from home would not disappear, but the confidence level was likely higher compared to previous matches.  Alas, while the play against Sporting Kansas City was better, the teams split the spoils after a 1-1 draw.

The difference this time around was that NYCFC did not have a slow start and had some of their best attacking chances during the first half and at the end of the fixture.  Andrés Perea scored the lone goal for the visitors, and Dániel Sallói leveled the game in the second half.  The Pigeons had some brilliant opportunities in the final third, but the fact that they could not score another goal led to the draw.

Overall, NYCFC has 16 shots with five on target.  They had about 55% of the possession, which is always good away from home.  Plus, Matt Freese and the backline put on a defensive show.

There is so much to discuss about the game.  Here are three things we learned about the draw between NYCFC and Sporting KC.

Matt Freese was on fire, again

As mentioned, the defense was predominantly spectacular, but especially Freese.  The goalkeeper put his body on the line a few times, and there were early concerns he had hurt his back after a crazy catch that was not needed.

But the goalkeeper was more than okay and made four saves on the night.  Some of them required him to stretch out his whole body, and he needed to be at the top of his game to keep Kansas City out of the goal.  Yes, one goal was allowed, but that was after Freese made a save, and the goal was empty because he was on the ground.

NYCFC likely would have lost without their goalkeeper.  His attention to what was going on around him also allowed him to make numerous catches to keep Kansas City from some chances.

Sebastiano Musu was impressive for NYCFC

Before the match, Sebastiano Musu was called up for a short-term loan from NYCFC II to be available to the first team.  The forward came on in the 77th minute and immediately had an impact.

In his appearance, he had three shots and did a fantastic job running up the wings.  One would have never guessed that he was making his Major League Soccer debut, for his confidence level would have said otherwise. He also had only 11 touches, but his passing rate was 100%. 

NYCFC might want to consider calling up Musu again, especially if he continues to perform well with the MLS Next Pro team.  Maybe, he could be a great depth piece for the rest of the season.  A short contract, while allowing him to still earn minutes with NYCFC II, could be a smart and economically friendly move.

NYCFC continued the unbeaten streak against Kansas City

Unquestionably, NYCFC would have preferred to leave with all three points.  It stinks that they were ahead and then ended up losing out on two more points.  But based on how they played and their road history, ending the evening with a draw is not the worst thing in the world.

Additionally, this extended the unbeaten streak to five games against Sporting KC and makes the record now 3-2-2.  NYCFC has also not lost to them since 2016.  This makes the result positive and worthwhile.