New York City FC fall 3-0 to Puebla in Leagues Cup opener
Courtesy: New York City FC on X
By Chris Tsakonas
New York City FC’s Leagues Cup opener ended in defeat with a 2-0 loss to Puebla at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Puebla led for 88 minutes in this match, with two of the match’s three goals coming in the first half.
Here are three observations from tonight’s Leagues Cup defeat.
Puebla strike early blow
From the opening whistle, Puebla dominated the possession and run of play while New York City struggled to gain a foothold. It didn’t take long for the scoreline to reflect that.
In the 2nd minute, Owen Gonzalez delivered a cross off a corner kick from the right flag. The ball came out to the top of the box and was played back into the middle, where Juan Fedorco beat Matt Freese from the edge of the six to open the scoring for Puebla. It was the second-earliest goal conceded by New York City across all competitions this season.
Early dominance from Puebla
Federico’s early goal set the tone for the first half. Through the opening 20 minutes of play, Puebla held 62 percent of the ball while creating all five shots (three of which were on target). New York City struggled to create any danger in the final third, with the first shot being a strike from the middle from Julian Fernandez that was well wide of the right post.
In the 38th minute, Puebla struck again. After quickly advancing the ball from the other end of the pitch, Alejandro Organista played the ball across the middle to set up a tap-in goal from Emiliano Gomez.
Late push from New York City falls short
As Puebla held a 2-0 lead well into the second half, New York City began to ramp up the pressure in a bid to get back into the match. It started in the 66th minute, when a Fernandez free kick came back to him for a second long-range effort that was saved by goalkeeper Jesus Rodriguez.
New York City’s barrage began in the 71st minute, when Jonny Shore and Alonso Martinez both got clean looks at goal within a 30-second span to force two saves from Rodriguez. Martinez had the best late chance for New York City when he hit the crossbar on a clean look from the middle in the 76th minute.
In the 89th minute, Puebla finished New York City off. After a turnover at midfield, the ensuing Puebla counterattack ended with Gomez playing a one-touch pass to set up a goal for Gonzalez for the third goal.
Next Up
It’s a quick turnaround for New York City FC, who will return to Harrison on Friday evening to take on Leon. Both teams will be looking for their first win of the tournament, as Leon fell to CF Montreal on penalty kicks earlier tonight. Live radio commentary with Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence will get underway at 5:45 p.m. at newyorkcityfc.com/radio.