New York City FC concede 2 goals in first half, fall 2-0 to Union at Yankee Stadium
Courtesy: NYCFC
By Chris Tsakonas
New York City FC fell to the Philadelphia Union 2-0 at Yankee Stadium for their second defeat of the season. They outshot the Union 18-13 overall, with Philadelphia getting a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal.
“[I’m] so proud of the guys and their effort and everything we've put forward,” goalkeeper Sean Johnson said postgame. “You couldn't ask for more effort on the day and it just wasn't our day.”
NYCFC got their first scoring chance in the 5th minute, when a ball into the box found Talles Magno, but his shot was stopped by Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.
Philadelphia quickly got on the board. In the 11th minute, a free kick was awarded about 30 yards out from goal on the left side. The ball ultimately fell to Alejandro Bedoya, who finished to get the Union up 1-0.
New York City FC thought they had drawn a penalty kick in the 28th minute, when Santi Rodriguez was brought down by Jack Elliott inside the box. Elliott was sent off for the tackle, but the call was overturned by referee Ted Unkel after a VAR check when Rodriguez was found to have handled the ball before the tackle.
In the 33rd minute, the Union would double their lead. On a defensive breakdown, a ball was played into the box for Daniel Gazdag, who put the ball past Sean Johnson.
New York City FC had another chance in the 45th minute, as a ball from Castellanos found Keaton Parks in the box, but the shot went just wide of the left post.
A second goal from Bedoya was disallowed in stoppage time of the first half, and the Union went into the locker room with a 2-0 lead at Yankee Stadium.
In the 48th minute, NYCFC had the first scoring opportunity of the second half, as Magno had a look at goal from the edge of the area that just missed wide.
The next chance came in the 63rd minute, when Union defender Nathan Harriel cleared a shot from Magno off the goal line.
New York City got their first shot on goal of the half in the 70th minute, when Heber got off a shot from the left edge of the box, but it was stopped by Blake.
While NYCFC had several chances afterwards, they couldn’t put one in the back of the net. In the 79th minute, a cross from substitute Chris Gloster found the head of Castellanos, but he put it wide to the right.
New York City had a dominant possession advantage, holding the ball for 74 percent of the match. The Union had the better chances, with a 1.8 - 1.1 edge in expected goals.
It marks the first defeat for New York City FC in the regular season and the first time that the club has been shut out at home since last September. The club now has a 14 day layoff with the international break before returning to the field with a road trip to Toronto FC.
“I think this [break] comes at a good time,” Johnson said. “We have some time off for everybody to regroup, refocus, and recharge, because we have a long stretch after the break as well.”