New York City FC fall 2-0 to New England Revolution
Courtesy: New York City FC
By Chris Tsakonas
Two goals on the opposite end of halftime made the difference as New York City FC fell 2-0 to the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium tonight. Leo Campana opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, while Ignatius Ganago doubled the lead in the 48th minute.
Here are three observations from tonight’s match.
Early, consistent pressure from New England attack
Before tonight’s match against New York City, New England struggled to threaten in the final third. Through the first 7 matches of the year, the Revolution had scored just three goals off of a league-worst 6.33 expected goals and 9.3 shots per game.
New England reversed that trend tonight, creating four shots inside the opening 15 minutes and 10 shots by the end of the first half. That pressure set the stage for the end of the first half, when the Revolution finally broke through.
Back-to-back goals do New York City in
After a corner kick from the right side in the 43rd minute, Ganago set up Campana for a shot that deflected into the back of the net. It was the first goal the Revolution scored all season in open play, and it put New York City in a 1-0 hole at the half.
In the 48th minute, New England delivered the knockout punch. Carles Gil whipped in a cross from the right flank, and Ganago got on the end of it at the edge of the six-yard box to beat Matt Freese and make it 2-0.
Attacking struggles
While New York City held a slight edge in possession in the first half, it led to just four shots - all of which were off target. None of those were high-percentage opportunities, as every shot had an expected goal value of 0.03.
“Today was tough, given the shape of the opponent as well [and] having a lot of bodies behind the ball,” manager Pascal Jansen said. “So you need to be very, very sharp and very bright in these moments in order to get some of the moments that you're looking for in the final third.”
While New York City created 12 shots in the second half as it tried to erase a two-goal deficit, finishing remained a struggle. The attack finally created a shot on goal in the 85th minute, when a shot from Alonso Martinez in the middle was easily stopped by Aljaz Ivacic. New York City ended the match with just two shots on goal.
Next Up
New York City FC will head back on the road next Saturday, traveling north of the border to face Toronto FC at BMO Field. Coverage will get underway at 2:15 P.M. with Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence on the call at newyorkcityfc.com/radio.