New York City FC suffer 2-1 defeat at hands of DC United
Courtesy: New York City FC on X
By Chris Tsakonas
A week after defeating first-place FC Cincinnati on the road, New York City FC conceded twice against the run of play to fall 2-1 to DC United at Yankee Stadium tonight. Justin Haak opened the scoring for New York City in the 19th minute, with Gabriel Pirani scoring twice in the 43rd and 77th minutes.
Haak opens the scoring early
From the opening whistle, New York City controlled 62 percent of the possession through the opening 15 minutes. Despite the early control, New York City struggled to create persistent scoring chances.
That changed in the 19th minute. After receiving the ball at the edge of the area, Haak played it into the middle for Alonso Martinez, who played it through to him in a one-two combination play. Haak slotted the ball past his former teammate Luis Barraza to open the scoring in the 19th minute with his first goal since July 8, 2023.
DC equalize off long throw-in
New York City maintained control of the match throughout the first half, remaining above 60 percent possession throughout. In the 43rd minute, DC capitalized through a set piece.
Off a long throw-in from the left side, Christian Benteke won a 50-50 header and nodded it back to the edge of the area. Gabriel Pirani got on the end of the header and beat Matt Freese with a low shot inside the right corner to level the match.
Pirani and Benteke link up again with match winner
After a quiet second half with only a couple of half-chances on either end, DC United broke through on the counter in the 77th minute. Benteke was the catalyst again - this time playing a through ball to set up a one-on-one chance for Pirani. With the entire New York City back line behind him, Pirani finished inside the left corner to give DC United the 2-1 lead.
“When you slip up [for] just two or three moments, that's all they need to get what they wanted and what they came for,” head coach Pascal Janesn said after the match. “So that is on us, but also credit to the team DC United.”
Next Up
After the September international window, New York City FC will kick off the final stretch of the regular season with a Midwest road trip to take on the Chicago Fire. Chicago currently sit two points behind the New York Red Bulls for the final East play-in spot. Live commentary with Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence will get underway at 8:15 p.m. at newyorkcityfc.com/radio.