3 things we learned from NYCFC’s disappointing loss to the Columbus Crew

New York City FC continued Major League Soccer play on Saturday when they faced the Columbus Crew for the second time in August.  The Ohio side has been playing extremely well and recently won the Leagues Cup.  As such, the Pigeons had a challenging match ahead of them.

It did not help that the Bronx team failed to earn all three points against Chicago Fire FC last week.  They were up 2-0 but late goals secured a point for the Fire.  Clearly, this increased the pressure heading into the Columbus fixture, but there was doubt about whether the Pigeons could secure any road points.

Shockingly, NYCFC played well, but missed too many opportunities and had defensive blunders at the end of the game.  This led to the 4-2 loss against the Crew, with two of the goals coming in stoppage time.

There is plenty that can be talked about from the painful loss.  Here are three things we learned from NYCFC’s game against the Columbus Crew.

3 things we learned from NYCFC's painful loss

1. Late defensive blunders cannot happen

After giving up the tying goal against Chicago last week in stoppage time, NYCFC did the same thing again.  This time, Columbus scored the winning goal and an extra one to seal the win.  Poor defensive blunders are the reason these goals happened. 

The winning goal by DeJuan Jones was due to the backline not marking the player.  This created space for him to take a shot.  Then, Luis Barraza, who came on for the injured Matt Freese, was slow to react.  He could not make the save.  The goalkeeper was also responsible for the extra goal, for Jacen Russell-Rowe pounced on a second-chance opportunity when he failed to properly clear the first save.

Based on how NYCFC played, they should have won this match.  Even after they tied the game thanks to Mounsef Bakrar in the 86th minute, they should have held on to the tie.  Yes, the Crew are fantastic and arguably have a high chance of winning the MLS Cup again.  But great teams can still lose, and the Pigeons should have taken all three points.

2. NYCFC has injury concerns again

The loss is even more painful thanks to the injury concerns with Freese and James Sands.  NYCFC first lost their goalkeeper after he was taken out in the 12th minute.  He barely played a quarter of the first half when he left his box to clear the ball.  Unfortunately, the clearance resulted in him overstretching his leg, and suffering some form of injury.  There are concerns it could be his knee, for similar knee injuries have occurred by overstretching the leg.

If NYCFC loses Freese for a while, then they will be without one of their best players.  Many think he is the reason the team is in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings.  Plus, he is undoubtedly in the conversation for Goalkeeper of the Year. 

While Barraza has his starter experience, he has struggled in his limited appearances season, including Saturday’s game.  He only had one save right before the fourth goal.

There is no question that Freese would be missed if he is out.  Sands, on the other hand, is expected to be okay.  He had a shot to his head, but still played a little afterwards.  He then had to come off via the concussion substitution.  Only time will tell whether he misses any matches.

3. Julián Fernández will miss the next NYCFC game

Unknown to some fans, NYCFC winger Julián Fernández will mix the next game.  He received a red card in stoppage time for poor sportsmanship.  This was not seen or clearly announced on the Apple TV broadcast.  Some fans found out by social media or via the MLS feed. Moreover, the commentators said he received a yellow card. Unless supporters were searching for him during the game, they probably did not realize he was gone for the final minutes.

What did the Argentine do?  Why was it not seen on TV?  Surely it had to be something serious for him to get the red card.  The lack of transparency about the red card is not a good look for the league either. 

This is not ideal for NYCFC since he played well when he came on as a substitute.  He is a good depth piece as he continues to grow as a player.