Talles Magno saves NYCFC from defeat after another draw with Atlanta United

Before New York City FC took the field against Atlanta United FC, the club announced they signed three NYCFC II players on a short-term loan for the game.  Drew Baiera, Máximo Carrizo, and Piero Elias were all brought to the Peach State since the team was a little thin with their depth.  They were on the bench, with Elias coming on for a few minutes late in the second half.

Moreover, Nick Cushing opted for an extremely rotated lineup. Santiago Rodríguez and Thiago Martins were not even on the team sheet.  The front three saw Mounsef Bakrar back as the striker and Julián Fernández and Agustín Ojeda were on the wings.  Then, Hannes Wolf and Justin Haak joined Keaton Parks in the midfield.  As a reminder, James Sands missed the match due to a yellow card accumulation suspension.  The backline was mostly similar to the Chicago Fire FC match, with Birk Risa in the Starting XI over Martins.

Truthfully, it was a little shocking to see so much rotation, especially during a period when NYCFC desperately needed a win.  It was nice to see Christian McFarlane earn another start, but since some of the players have only played so much, questions surrounded the head coach and whether he wanted to win.

While it was not a win, NYCFC came back from being down 2-0 to earn a point in a 2-2 draw.  Matt Freese was a major reason why the team secured a point, for he had seven saves on the night.  Additionally, the never-back-down mentality aided the Pigeons in the comeback draw.

NYCFC and Atlanta's game ends in another draw

The match started terribly for NYCFC after they gave up a goal in the first minute.  Atlanta had the right passing sequence to begin the game, and this led the ball to fall to Daniel Ríos.  With ease, the forward put the ball past Freese, putting his side in front immediately.  It was a sleepy start for the Pigeons, and about ten minutes later, there was fear it would get worse.

Strahinja Tanasijević was initially called for a foul in the box, leading to a penalty kick call.  It was a poor decision by the referee, for there was barely any contact.  Regardless, the soft call likely would have stood with VAR, for it was not clear and obvious to overturn.  Thankfully, the decision was erased due to an offside call, so it worked out in the end.

Funny enough, that caused NYCFC to go on the offensive front.  They controlled most of the game and constantly threatened the Atlanta defense.  This was a major difference compared to the draw in Chicago, in which the Pigeons were lackluster in their play over the weekend.  There were still some missed touches and poor passes, but it was much better.

Unfortunately, they could not find the back of the net in the first half, and Atlanta was able to go up 2-0 thanks to a goal by Saba Lobjanidze.  Freese originally made a save on Xande Silva’s shot, but the Georgian international scored on the rebound.  It was a rough goal to give up, but the Bronx side went right back to attacking, trying to find something or get some form of luck.

This continued throughout the rest of the fixture.  Arguably, the play improved even more when Maxi Moralez came on at the start of the second half.  His passes were exactly what the Pigeons needed, as well as his passes into or near the box.

It was Bakrar though who put NYCFC on the scoresheet in the 65th minute.  A giveaway by Atlanta led the ball to fall to the Algerian.  The home team was not defensively put together, and he took his shot.  It was exactly what the Algerian needed, even with a little bit of luck.

The fight continued for NYCFC, and eventually Talles Magno, who came on as a substitute in the 63rd minute, won the team a penalty kick.  It was good to see the winger again, who many thought might have played his last game for NYCFC.  Instead, he came on and made an impact, similar to Moralez.  He did well with his passing, which has been criticized in the past.  More importantly, he scored the Pigeons’ second goal after taking the penalty kick in the 82nd minute.  This secured a point and the comeback draw.

Things of note

The attacking fight throughout the match is why NYCFC scored two goals.  That does not take away the criticism of Cushing, who may have made too many changes in the Starting XI.  The players are teammates, but they have not started enough games with one another.  The head coach’s substitutes somewhat redeemed himself, but one can wonder if the match would have ended with a win with a more consistent Starting XI.

Meanwhile, Sands was missed.  He truly acts as another defensive body.  His missing presence provided plenty of chances for Atlanta on the counter-attack.  The 58% possession maintained by the Pigeons reduced the home side's ability to take chances.  Otherwise, the Five Stripes might have had more than 12 shots and another goal or two.

NYCFC has one more game on this road trip to try and win.  They will be heading to the Sunshine State to face Orlando City SC, who they crushed in a 4-2 win in the home fixture.  Still, they will be on the road, which can be a dangerous place.  Hopefully, the goals in Atlanta will be the confidence booster the team needs.