Another dismal loss at home: NYCFC loses to D.C. United at Citi Field

After the U.S. Open Cup win on Wednesday against the New York Red Bulls, New York City FC wanted to get their second win in a row and end the six-match winless streak in Major League Soccer. To do that, they had to earn all three points against D.C. United, who was even with them on 12 points entering the meeting. Unfortunately, the winless streak is now seven games, for NYCFC fell 2-0.

Notably, Pascal Jansen was without Tayvon Gray, for he was suspended due to the red card from last weekend’s game against CF Montréal. As such, the always suspicious Strahinja Tanasijević, who could easily be detrimental to the backline, started in his place. Also, Talles Magno was supposed to start, but an injury during warmups led to Malachi Jones' first MLS start since 2024.

This was also a reunion with former NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson. Fans will always love him and what he did for the club, but of course, everyone wanted him to give up multiple goals. Sadly, he had a superb game.

The Pigeons' struggles in MLS ultimately continued, and similar to last weekend, the issue at hand was that the team struggled to produce the threatening shots when they should. Additionally, they were not able to capitalize on the opportunities when provided.

NYCFC failed to score in loss to D.C.

The game started with mostly equal play when it came to everything but the attack. NYCFC had more of the possession, but D.C. was more threatening offensively, and this was without their leading scorer, Tai Baribo.

This forced the Boys in Blue to dig in defensively, and at first, it seemed like everyone was going to do what they needed to do this time. Raul Gustavo had a big block in the seventh minute, leading to a big save from Matt Freese right after. Brandon Servania's shot forced the goalkeeper to jump to his right, flying in the air to keep the ball out of the goal. Afterward, everyone was working together to keep D.C. at bay.

Alas, NYCFC’s defensive issues continued to haunt them. In the 29th minute, D.C had a throw-in, and the ball fell right to Louis Munteanu. Nobody in the backline was marking him properly, so the striker easily scored in the chaotic box.

That was another goal that should not have happened. It does not help that Gray and Kevin O’Toole are both out, but Gustavo and Thiago Martins, or whoever starts as the center-backs, need to be stronger defensively. They need to protect Freese the most. But the goal can be blamed on Martins, Tanasijević, and Kai Trewin.

It did not help that NYCFC lost another player due to injury about ten minutes before halftime. Aiden O’Neill had to come out after a possible foot or ankle injury. He was replaced by a fantastic Andrés Perea, but he himself is working his way back from injury.

Still, this is a team that is capable of great things. Yet, they struggled to produce those threatening shots that they needed to, and consistently. Sure, there were a few offensive moments that they could have scored. Nicolás Fernández Mercau had a brilliant free-kick attempt late in the first half, where he sent the ball to the top-left corner of the goal, but Johnson cleared the ball.

Then, the Argentine had another fantastic attempt in the 58th minute from the left side of the box that caused the former Pigeon keeper to react quickly and block with his hands. It was a great shot, but again, NYCFC needed goals.

At this rate, some fans might question whether the Boys in Blue are cursed in MLS, for any ability to gain any points escaped their grasp when D.C. was given a penalty kick after a soft foul by Keaton Parks in the box. It was a 50-50 call, but one that VAR would confirm because there was contact. It was not the most controversial, but still frustrating. And as a result, Munteanu sent Freese the other way to score his brace in the 75th minute and send his team home happy.

In the end, the fault of the loss lies with NYCFC. The team needs to be better, and they know they can play with other MLS teams. So what is going on? Again, the club, if they do not have one, needs to invest in a sports psychologist. The mental aspect is likely playing a major role in why the winless streak will not end, and why they continue to get poor results at home.

The injuries do not help, either. Hopefully, Magno and O’Neill are okay, for the team cannot afford to lose anyone else. Still, they should win at home, and NYCFC continues to dig a hole deeper and deeper.

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