In and out: NYCFC is knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup by the Riverhounds

On Wednesday, New York City FC began their U.S. Open Cup journey, returning to the tournament for the first time since 2023. They are one of 16 Major League Soccer teams competing this season. As such, the team entered the Round of 32 and faced Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.  Unfortunately, a late goal by the Riverhounds knocked the Bronx team out of the Cup.

Head Coach Pascal Jansen put out a highly rotated squad, but opted to go with the more experienced players, with starters and bench players in the Starting XI. Some might have thought that he would have given some of the younger Homegrown or NYCFC II players a shot, but he opted to put the younger players who were with the squad on the bench. 

Notably, some of the main starters like Matt Freese, Thiago Martins, and Maxi Moralez were not with the team. Keaton Parks was not with the squad as well, and fans are still waiting to hear about his status after he left Sunday’s MLS match with an injury.

Nevertheless, NYCFC played with the players they had, and it was not a bad performance by any means. Nobody could find the back of the net, and as such, the Boys in Blue were knocked out after the 1-0 loss to the Riverhounds.

NYCFC is out of the U.S. Open Cup

It was not an easy match, though. Tomás Romero was called to action for NYCFC early on, making his first save in the tenth minute. It was an easy one in the end, but the shot on target came from an initial free kick and attacking sequence. He was lucky since the backline helped protect him, limiting the initial saves he had to make.

The Pigeons clearly dominated in both possession and attacking opportunities, but they allowed the Riverhounds enough chances, where the teams were similar with their shots. The home team’s best chance, prior to the second-half goal, came in the 45th minute. A strike from Jorge Garcia forced Romero to dive to his left to push the ball out of harm’s way. Notably, this shot would not have occurred if Strahinja Tanasijević had not given the ball away around the halfway line of the pitch.

In addition, NYCFC’s opportunities were wasted at times, predominantly in the first half. It felt like there were too many lackluster shots or failed passes into the box. The clinical finish in the final third continued to be missing in action, and it did not help that Alonso Martínez was not in the squad.

That is probably why Jansen brought on Julián Fernández at the start of the second half. Perhaps that is what sparked an incredible chance in the 49th minute, which came from Tayvon Gray. The defender swung the ball into the box, and the ball headed toward the goal. However, Pittsburgh’s goalkeeper, Eric Dick, cleared it to keep the score level.

Not too long after, Andrés Perea had a chance in the 51st minute via a header, and Fernández forced an incredible save in the 52nd. So, the question at the time was this: did the Argentine truly inspire a change? 

Well, NYCFC reduced Pittsburgh’s time on the ball for a little while, and they continued to have chances on goal. There were periods, especially from the 60th to 70th minute, that the Riverhounds pressured the Boys in Blue.

But it looked grim in the 78th minute. Tanasijević fouled Bradley Sample on a goal-scoring chance for Pittsburgh, leading him to receive a red card. This highlighted his reputation as being risky and problematic in the backline.

NYCFC still could have scored after the red card. Agustín Ojeda’s shot hit the crossbar, Mounsef Bakrar sent the ball wide when he had nobody but the goalkeeper in front of him, and Fernández’s perfect chance went just wide of the goal. The attack was stronger in the second half, but ultimately, the scoring struggles would not go away.

And, the fact that NYCFC was down a man came to bite them. In the dying seconds of the match, Pittsburgh scored the game winner, with Beto Ydrach heading the ball past Romero. 

When all is said and done, the scoring struggles hurt the Bronx side. They also fell asleep on that final play which allowed the Riverhounds to go in front. It was not a poor performance; the lack of goals was the problem.

It also felt like one of those U.S. Open Cup matches from previous years, where it was easy to question whether the head coach wanted to move on. They could have, if NYCFC would have found the back of the net. Still, maybe there was too much rotation. It does not matter though, for the first team is out of the Cup. Unlike NYCFC II last year, they are one and done.