NYCFC draws the Whitecaps 0-0, earn first point of MLS season
Courtesy: NYCFC
By Chris Tsakonas
Despite outshooting and out possessing the Vancouver Whitecaps for the full 90 minutes, New York City FC could not find the back of the net, leaving BC Place with a 0-0 draw on Saturday night. NYCFC outshot the Whitecaps.
“We created enough chances to win,” NYCFC manager Ronny Deila said after the game. “We didn’t take our chances today.”
Defensively, New York was able to keep their first clean sheet of the year, allowing just 0.4 expected goals and 1 shot on target from the Whitecaps. NYCFC held the ball for 70.1 percent of the match.
“We knew exactly how they were gonna play,” Deila said, “so it was about balancing the counterattacks, it was about moving the ball well, so we could get into the last third as much as possible.”
NYCFC had the first good look of the match in the 7th minute, with Talles Magno getting on the end of a cross from Thiago and firing a shot that was stopped with the fingertips of Whitecap goalkeeper Thomas Hasal. The save set up a corner kick that fell to the feet of Thiago, whose shot from the top of the box is saved by Hasal.
In the 15th minute, New York got another prime opportunity when Alexander Callens got a free header in front of goal - but it ricocheted off the crossbar.
The Whitecaps got their first good look at goal in the 22nd minute, when a cross from Ryan Gauld found Lucas Cavallini in the middle of the box - but Cavallini’s header was stopped by Sean Johnson.
Another NYCFC opportunity came in the 31st minute, when Mette Aamundson had a look on the left side of the 6 that was curled just wide of the far right corner of the net.
NYCFC picked up right where they left off in the second half. In the 49th minute, a free kick from the right side of the midfield was crossed into the area by Maxi Moralez, but Alfredo Morales’ corner missed just wide of the right corner of the goal.
In the 62nd minute, a corner kick from Moralez was deflected to the foot of Thiago at the top of the box, but he fired it well over the crossbar.
NYCFC would get another opportunity in the 78th minute, when a ball to the edge of the box found Taty Castellanos, but the bouncing ball was struck just too high and wide of the goal.
There was one final opportunity for New York in the 89th minute, as a cross from Santi Rodriguez found Thiago at the edge of the area, but Hasal came to the rescue again for Vancouver.
It’s another quick turnaround for NYCFC, who have just 72 hours before they take the field for the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal leg against Comunicaciones.