3 things we learned from NYCFC's 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire

New York City FC is in the middle of a four-game road trip.  They played their second fixture away from home when they faced Chicago Fire FC.  On paper, this was a team they could beat, for the home side was in 13th place entering the game.  The Pigeons also had the edge, for they had an 11-3-6 record against them.

Nevertheless, Chicago had been playing better as of late.  NYCFC was also missing some players, making them a little thin in the backline.  Birk Risa was back, but he was unable to start.  There were also the recent struggles to score on the road on everyone’s mind.  In the last three road matches, they have only scored one goal, with that coming in the loss against Austin FC.

Sadly, they failed to find the back of the net again, making it one goal in their last four on the road.  NYCFC did earn a point though in the 0-0 draw against the Chicago Fire.  This was not a desired result.  Truthfully, they should have played better.

At the very least, Matt Freese got the clean sheet.  There is still plenty to talk about.  Here are three things we learned from NYCFC’s draw against Chicago.

3 things we learned from NYCFC’s 0-0 draw against the Fire

1. Can and will Nick Cushing give Talles Magno a shot?

Talles Mago was once again on the bench for NYCFC.  Despite the need for help in the attack, Nick Cushing did not give the winger any minutes.  Instead, he remained on the bench, wasting away his potential.

Everyone is aware that Magno has the ability to play well.  Fans saw what he can bring to the table in the friendly win against Inter Miami CF at the end of the previous season.  So what happened?  The winger implied things are not necessarily good with the head coach.  Is Cushing stubborn, or does he truly believe the Brazilian is behind everyone else on the talent depth chart?

Regardless of the reason, this was a great game to give Magno a chance.  He could have come on around the 70th-minute mark for NYCFC and possibly given them a spark.  Fans want to see what he can do.  They also want to see whether there is a reason he does not play.  At the very least, Cushing should give him a chance due to his potential.  It is also not his fault that he struggled with the team last season since the head coach forced him to play as the striker and not as a winger.  Please give Magno a shot.

2. NYCFC needs to find their away goal-scoring boots

As mentioned, NYCFC has only scored one goal in their last four road games.  This is concerning, for they are 0-3-1 in these fixtures.  As the Pigeons know, they need to get some positive results on the road if they want to compete with the best of the best. 

In order to do that, they need to score more away from home.  Fans might wonder if the road wins against Toronto FC, the Philadelphia Union, and the New England Revolution were outliers and that the Bronx side still cannot perform at a high level on the road.  Clearly, they can still score at home based on the fact they scored six in their last two home matches.  They must find a way to do the same when they are the visiting team.

NYCFC almost had the winning goal against Chicago when Mounsef Bakrar put the ball in the back of the net.  However, when Keaton Parks headed the ball to Santiago Rodríguez, the Designated Player was offside.  Nonetheless, the ability to score is there.  The Pigeons just need to find that road magic they had earlier in the season.

3. Christian McFarlane had a decent first start

NYCFC fans were excited about Christian McFarlane earning his first start in Major League Soccer.  The left-back will likely be moving to Europe this summer or during the primary transfer window, for his potential is endless.  His defensive and offensive abilities make him a promising signing for any team.

It was somewhat surprising that Cushing waited this long for the player to start his first match.  McFarlane has been superb with NYCFC II, so it made sense he had a decent first start with the first team.  He had no problem keeping up with anyone on the left side of the pitch.  He also readily made himself available by going forward.  Statistically, he did not shine.  However, he worked well with the backline to ensure Freese kept his clean sheet. 

Hopefully, NYCFC fans will see more of their young Homegrown talent.