New York City FC concedes four goals in ten minutes in 4-2 Leagues Cup loss to FC Cincinnati
Credit: New York City FC
By Eddie Kalegi
After 79 minutes of play at TQL Stadium, Santi Rodriguez had his team-leading ninth goal of the year, Jovan Mijatovic added his first tally with the boys in blue, and New York City FC had a 2-0 lead, destined for a Leagues Cup East 1 group title. Then everything changed.
Some timely substitutions catalyzed a remarkable stretch for home side FC Cincinnati, who strung together four goals in a ten minute span for a come-from-behind 4-2 victory, clinching the top spot in the group and a meeting with Santos Laguna later this week.
It was a unique situation entering Monday night’s tilt, as both New York City FC and FC Cincinnati had already punched their tickets to the knockout stage, courtesy of wins over Mexican side Querétaro. Although both teams could clinch a group title, and theoretically a favorable draw with a victory, the approach was quite different. Besides resting goalkeeper Matt Freese in favor of Luis Barraza, New York City FC rolled out a lineup with a majority of their first-teamers. Conversely, Pat Noonan sat several starters, while 20 year-old Paul Walters made his first career start.
These decisions favored New York City early in the match, as they rebounded from a lackluster first 25 minutes to take control for much of the contest. However, FC Cincinnati’s fresh first-team legs, including Sergio Santos and Yamil Asad, proved too much for City’s dilapidated defense, stealing the show in the final stages.
Below are three takeaways for New York City’s disappointing defeat to cap off group play.
Defensive lapses prove costly
The focal point is obviously New York City’s backline, which had played a solid cohesive match before collectively falling off a cliff in the last 15 minutes. The unit allowed free runs to the net from Pavel Bucha, Yamil Asad, Yuya Kubo, and Sergio Santos with little resistance, all of which resulted in Cincinnati goals. Prior to this brutal stretch, City had conceded just one goal in 349 minutes of regulation time in Leagues Cup group play over the past two tournaments.
Luis Barraza didn’t play all too poorly, and the offense struck twice and created numerous chances, so the defense will unquestionably carry the brunt of the blame for this one.
The Importance of Santi Rodriguez
Looking at the last two matches as a whole, New York City did accomplish their main goal: they advanced to the Leagues Cup knockout stage for the second consecutive season, and a big reason for that is Santi Rodriguez.
The 24 year-old Uruguayan midfielder, one of only a handful of remaining contributors from the 2021 MLS Cup championship roster, makes this team tick. Some exquisite passing from Julian Fernandez and Maxi Moralez set him up to score in this one, but it’s the collective confidence in Rodriguez as a midfielder who doubles as a finisher that allows the offense to flow in this way.
As rumors swirl about Talles Magno’s future, and the seemingly unwavering striker question remains unanswered, Rodriguez will have to maintain this level of play for New York City to make a run in the knockout stage.
Volatility Entering Knockout Stage
Who will City’s next opponent be? That’s a loaded question that will not be answered until late Tuesday night, as the East 5 group is yet to be decided. New York City is destined to clash with that group’s victor, which could be any of Nashville SC, the New England Revolution, or Mexican side Mazatlan, depending on tomorrow’s result between the first two clubs.
To put it simply, it will be a trip to Foxborough to battle the Revs unless New England loses in regulation. If that loss is by one or two goals, City will face Mazatlan. If Nashville blows out New England by three goals or more, they’ll claim the group and face New York City in the round of 32.
Regardless of what is to come, one thing is for sure: City is volatile and extremely unpredictable. The 2024 season alone has featured a winless month, a nine match unbeaten streak, a five goal performance against San Jose, and a stretch of four consecutive draws, which included a game against Atlanta United where a goal was conceded 21 seconds in, yet New York City managed to erase a multi-goal deficit in the final minutes and secure the equalizer.
It is unclear what version of New York City FC you’re getting in any given match, or frankly, at any point in a match. Tonight depicted both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows for this group, making them prone to both a swift exit from the knockout stage, and a deep run.