NYCFC continues to disappoint in Columbus after Crew beats Pigeons 4-2

It has only been a few weeks, but New York City FC found themselves back at Lower.com Field to take on the Columbus Crew.  The teams last met in the Leagues Cup, in which the Pigeons lost in the quarterfinals after a penalty kick shootout.  They did manage the 1-1 draw in regulation, which is not bad since they struggle in Columbus.

But the Crew has been on fire, and NYCFC knew going into the game that it would be a difficult match.  It did not help that they ended last weekend’s fixture in a draw despite being up 2-0.  It was a disappointing result, and likely many fans were not positive that the team could earn points.

Meanwhile, Nick Cushing’s lineup was decent, but it was shocking Maxi Moralez was not in the Starting XI.  The midfielder has been fantastic and the team has next week off due to the international break.  Santiago Rodríguez was instead utilized in the number ten role and Agustín Ojeda took his spot as the left-winger.

Despite a mostly well-played game, NYCFC fell to the Columbus Crew 4-2.  It was another disappointing result that would have been easier to accept if the Crew dominated.  But that did not happen and the Boys in Blue still left with no points.

NYCFC falls to the Crew in a painful loss

NYCFC started off quickly, dominating the game early on and scoring in the fourth minute.  Once again, Alonso Martínez scored the opener after a beautiful pass from Tayvon Gray.  The forward received the ball and turned perfectly, running a few more yards before slotting the ball easily past the Crew’s goalkeeper, Patrick Schulte.

Sadly, the joy of scoring first did not last long.  Matt Freese came out of his box to clear the ball on a Columbus attacking sequence.  He succeeded but injured himself in the process.  This led him to come off, with Luis Barraza replacing him due to a possible leg injury.

The injury did not throw NYCFC’s game plan to the wayside, but all it took was a counter-attack by Columbus to tie the game in the 17th minute.  Barraza and some of the defenders were a little too focused on Christian Ramirez, leaving the goal wide open.  The players passed the ball to Diego Rossi, who was wide open in front of the goal to tap it in.

This moment felt familiar to the Leagues Cup, but NYCFC was playing much better compared to their last meeting.  But as the game went on, the Crew started to maintain more possession and become more threatening as time passed.  The teams finished the first half sharing periods of possession.  However, James Sands also had to be substituted off, probably due to a delayed impact from a shot to his head since it was a concussion substitution.

In the second half, the sharing of possession continued.  The Crew got their second goal though in the 59th minute.  Rather than calling a foul, the home side was able to play on.  Rossi continued his run before finding Max Arfsten, who easily sent the ball into the back of the net.  Barraza could not make the stop, and truthfully, Freese likely could not either.

Then, while Martínez was playing well, Cushing pulled him off in the 60th minute and put Mounsef Bakrar on.  Moralez and Christian McFarlane also came on at the same time, which made sense. It did not make sense to take the Costa Rican off.

The point was proven when Gray sent the perfect ball right to Bakrar around the 68th minute.  He could not take a clinical shot and sent it wide of the goal.

But the striker proved everyone wrong when he scored the tying goal in the 86th minute. Julián Fernández made a great run after the Crew gave up possession.  Once he was near the box, the winger recognized there were too many defenders in front of him.  So, he flicked the ball to Bakrar, who took strike on an angle.

That did not matter though, for Barraza and the backline allowed the Crew to score the winner in stoppage time.  DeJuan Jones was not being marked by any of the NYCFC defenders, giving space in front of him.  In a chaotic sequence, he received the ball and sent it beyond Barraza on an awkward shot.  The keeper’s slow reaction time hindered him from attempting a valid save.  Columbus also added another goal at the end of stoppage time thanks to Jacen Russell-Rowe.

Truthfully, this was more frustrating than the Leagues Cup.  NYCFC had a stronger performance regarding possession and getting the ball into the final third.  The reoccurring theme of lacking the clinical finish, except for their goals, is why they are leaving with another road loss. They should have had another one or two. In addition, the defensive blunders in stoppage time should not have occurred.

Of course, there are injury concerns with Freese and Sands.  These two are vital to the squad, so hopefully, they will be okay.  But watching the extension of the goalkeeper’s leg makes the hope small for him.  It would not be shocking if he misses a longer period of time.

Maybe the international break is coming at the right time.  NYCFC has seven more fixtures to figure things out and go on a run before the playoffs.  Time is ticking.