New York City FC hold off FC Dallas in 1-0 road win

By Chris Tsakonas

Amid 100+ degree heat, New York City FC came across the finish line with all three points in a 1-0 road win over FC Dallas. Heber put New York City ahead with a 29th minute goal in the win.

“Yeah, obviously really, really pleased with the win,” interim head coach Nick Cushing said. “This is my first experience of Texas, and definitely my first experience of playing in the heat.”

The match got off to a sluggish start, with no shots on goal at all through the first 28 minutes of play. Talles Magno had a look at goal in the 23rd minute, but his shot from the middle of the area was pulled wide of the right post.

The only shot on goal for NYCFC turned into the only goal of the match in the 29th minute. Off a turnover, Santi Rodriguez quickly took the ball into the right side of the penalty area, and rolled it across the six to find Heber for the tap in on the back post. It was the fourth goal of the season for Heber, who got the start in place of Taty Castellanos, who did not play due to a yellow card accumulation.

“I thought the nature of the first half, we played our football and we looked like the team that we want to be,” Cushing said.

FC Dallas got the first big chance of the second half in the 51st minute. Justin Haak was dispossessed by Jesus Ferreira in the final third, but his attempt to play it across the face of goal was denied by Thiago Martins.

“Yeah, I think mistakes are part of the game,” Cushing said. “We'll fix them, but the reaction and the attitude to help the team in that moment, [and] I thought it was excellent from every player tonight.”

Ferreira got Dallas’ best chance in the 70th minute, when Franco Jara found him on a ball into the box, but his header was saved at close range by Sean Johnson. That ended up being the only shot on goal for FC Dallas, as neither side had another look on frame in the match.

In the 86th minute, Ferreira delivered a cross into the area off a corner kick that found Jose Martinez - only for his shot to end up in the side netting at the near post.

Dallas got one more chance in the seventh and final minute of stoppage time. Edwin Cerrillo floated a cross into the area. Nkosi Tafari got on the end of it, but his effort missed just to the left of goal.

With the win, New York City FC will ride a two match win streak into Harrison on Sunday in the first regular season Hudson River Derby against the New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls got the better end of NYCFC when they met in the US Open Cup last month, advancing to the semifinals with a 3-0 win at Red Bull Arena.