NYCFC suffers heartbreaking defeat to the Columbus Crew via penalties

On Saturday, New York City FC faced off against reigning MLS Cup Champions, the Columbus Crew, for a spot in the semifinals of the Leagues Cup. They had a solid record against the side, going 1-2-2 in the last five appearances. This could have made it an even battle between the two sides. 

The bad news was that they had to travel to Lower.com Field, where the last time they won a match in Columbus was back in 2017. The electric crowd was the 12th man for the Crew, which turned into an uneven battle during the quarterfinals. Since Columbus had also knocked out Inter Miami CF, they became the favorites to take the cup, next to Club América and LAFC. Because the Boys in Blue had experience playing in knockout rounds, this challenge was nothing they were not used to. 

Each match got more difficult for the Pigeons and this game was their most important one thus far. Not much was changed with Nick Cushing’s lineup on Saturday. As expected, he went with mostly his best Starting XI, a copy and paste from the one against Tigres UANL. He went with Strahinja Tanasijević over Birk Risa as the starting center-back was still recovering from a knock. He also stuck with Alonso Martínez in the No. 9 slot.

Sadly, the journey ended as NYCFC fell to Columbus via a penalty kick shootout after a 1-1 finish after regulation.  

NYCFC falls in the Leagues Cup against reigning MLS Champions

Fans were still heading to their seats and or just turned on the TV when NYCFC landed on the scoresheet, just 12 seconds into the game. Martínez, one of the players to watch, pressured Rudy Camacho, who made a huge mistake as he took advantage of it while scoring the fastest goal in club history. This put them in the driver's seat, though the pressure from Columbus was on. 

Their attack was not letting up, having finished the half with seven shots. One of the other players to watch, Cucho Hernández, knocked in their first goal for the Crew during the 41st minute. Since the quick goal, NYCFC had to defend more than attack. Although, they had two great opportunities for more goals.

The second half seemed like it was all Columbus, having been outshot and out-possessed the entire half. Matt Freese kept the team in the game, making five saves on the night while his defense kept them level. There were some concerns for Tanasijević, who had come off the pitch injured and was replaced by Risa.

In the end, the match ended 1-1 in regulation, and the two sides went into a penalty kick shootout. While NYCFC dominates in penalty kicks, this would not be easy with the Columbus fans electric to cheer their team on following a close matchup during regulation. When it came down to the two most important players on the team, both failed to prevail in what seemed like the first time. Santiago Rodríguez and Maxi Moralez missed their penalty kicks, resulting in NYCFC’s elimination from the Leagues Cup. 

Despite the loss, NYCFC had made it farther than most expected, and there were some positives from the tournament. With their elimination from the competition, the Boys in Blue will take the next few days to recover as they prepare for the return of MLS action on August 24 against Chicago Fire FC at Citi Field.