NYCFC split points with Vancouver in 1-1 draw
By Chris Tsakonas
New York City FC split the points with the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 1-1 draw this afternoon in the Bronx. Monsef Bakrar had the goal for NYCFC, while Ryan Gauld found the back of the net for the Whitecaps.
The best chance of the first half for New York City came in the 38th minute, when a cross from Maxi Moralez fell to Andres Jasson at the back post, but he couldn’t get the shot on target.
New York City didn’t record a shot on goal until the first minute of first half stoppage time, when Moralez got off a strike from the middle of the penalty area that was stopped by Vancouver keeper Yohei Takaoka.
NYCFC finally got the breakthrough in the 55th minute, when Bakrar beat Takaoka off a through ball from Santi Rodriguez on the counterattack to get the 1-0 lead. It was the second goal in as many matches for Bakrar.
Just two minutes later, the Whitecaps drew a penalty when James Sands was called for a foul on Gauld. After a brief delay, Gauld stepped up to take the penalty kick, and finished inside the bottom left corner to level the match at 1-1.
“It was disappointing. We know it's a cheap goal - it was straight from the kickoff,” head coach Nick Cushing said. “This moment is like so disappointing. It feels painful now, [but] we have to look at it, we have to work on it, we have to continue to become resilient in these moments.”
As the second half went on, New York City had to deal with a pair of injuries. Birk Risa had to come off for Alfredo Morales in the 70th minute after suffering a hit on his ankle in the lead up to the penalty kick, while Bakrar came off for Richy Ledezma in the 73rd minute for a hamstring injury. Bakrar’s initial assesment is that it isn’t a serious injury, while no prognosis was given by Cushing for Risa.
New York City kept pushing forward in search for a match winner, and nearly got one in the final minutes. In the 85th minute, Rodriguez sent in a cross off a corner kick to the back post to find Braian Cufre - who headed it into the side netting.
Maxi Moralez had to come off during stoppage time due to an undisclosed injury Moralez’s evaluation is ongoing.
With the draw, New York City are now two points out of the final playoff spot while awaiting the rest of the weekend’s MLS slate. City have six remaining matches to earn a spot in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, with the next match coming up against the Red Bulls in two weeks.
“The pressure is high, because we want to be above to line,” Cushing said. “I put pressure on myself. The guys are disappointed because we want to win, and we've had too many of these games where we play well, and we push the game, and we show fight, and we create chances and we have the ball - but we don't get the result.”