On this day in NYCFC history: Jack Harrison is the hero on September 6, 2017

New York City FC has played in many entertaining games throughout the seasons. Some of these fixtures were close. Others were dominated by the Pigeons. One such close game occurred on September 6, 2017.

On this day in NYCFC history, the Bronx side played against Sporting Kansas City. Patrick Vierra was the head coach, and David Villa was the captain. Although, the Spanish player was not available for this particular match. As such, Thomas McNamara was the captain.

Only Maxi Moralez, who was in the Starting XI, and James Sands, who was on the bench, were with the team at this time. Some notable starters included Sean Johnson, Alexander Callens, Andrea Pirlo, and Jack Harrison.

The NYCFC fixture occurred on a rainy Wednesday evening at Yankee Stadium. For the most part, the possession was split. The Pigeons had a slight edge over Sporting KC, but offensively, they were the stronger team. They outshot the visitors, 16 to 10.

On this day in NYCFC history, Jack Harrison was the hero

However, the goals would not arrive. NYCFC had some bad luck throughout most of the match, including one of their best chances by Moralez. The Argentine had taken a shot in the 65th minute, but the ball hit the post. In some ways, the 2017 fixture is a reminder of this season. There were plenty of offensive opportunities, but the players could not score. Or, if they did, it was just one goal.

In this game, that is what happened. NYCFC managed a late goal to secure a 1-0 win. In the 84th minute, Harrison scored to lead the team to all three points.

It started as craziness in the box. McNamara took his shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper, Tim Melia. In fact, the Kansas City goalkeeper had five saves on the night. He was a huge reason NYCFC was kept off the scoresheet through most of the 90 minutes.

But the ball fell right back to the Pigeons. Defender RJ Allen passed the ball to the young Harrison, who used his chest to bring down the ball. Then, with one kick, he swept the ball into the bottom-right corner of the goal. It was one of those goals that went in with accuracy and a little luck.

That goal was one of those moments that helped lead Harrison back to England. As it is known, he was signed by Manchester City FC, spent some time on loan with Leeds United FC before signing a permanent deal, and is now on loan with Everton F.C. for the current season.

Looking back, that was probably the game that led New York City FC to second place in the Eastern Conference. They were only two points above Chicago Fire FC with 57 points. Harrison was the hero with the late goal.