Parks equalizer gives NYCFC 1-1 road draw at Portland
Courtesy: NYCFC
By Chris Tsakonas
New York City FC came away with points for the fifth straight match, finishing in a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers at Providence Park.
“We obviously want to win, but I think the nature of the run we're on, it feels disappointing, because we want to win a football game,” head coach Nick Cushing said after the match. “To go one nil down at Portland and come away with a point, we have to look at the positives, but continue to understand that we need to win football games, because we need to climb the table.”
The first half didn’t see much offense, with the first shot on goal not coming until the 37th minute. Unfortunately for NYCFC, the first shot on goal turned into the first goal, when Evander finished a lengthy buildup in the final third with a powerful shot at the edge of the penalty area.
NYCFC went into the halftime break with just one shot to their name, and made one substitution with Matias Pellegrini coming on for Gabriel Pereira, who was dealing with adductor pain.
“We don't think it's a strain,” Cushing said. “We're gonna have to get the doctor to look at it, because he's an important guy for us.”
Once the second half got underway, it didn’t take long for New York City to draw level in the second half. In the 51st minute, NYCFC were awarded a free kick on the left side of the penalty area. Matias Pellegrini sent in the cross, and Keaton Parks rose to finish it with a near post header to make it 1-1.
“The team has huge drive and huge determination, so they were going to find a way to get back into the game,” Cushing said. “I said at halftime, I really believed they would find a way to get back into the game because I know my team. The surge of energy was there, because they weren't prepared to lose the game.”
The match opened up somewhat after that, but neither team were able to get the go-ahead goal. The closest chance came for Evander, who hit the post on a free kick in the sixth minute of added time.
Portland outshot New York City 13-6 on total shots and 7-3 in shots on goal. The Timbers also had 53.7 percent of the possession and a 1-0.6 lead in expected goals.
With the draw, NYCFC’s winless streak now stands at 11 matches, tying the club record from 2015 for most matches without a win. New York City will look to get their first road win of the year next Saturday, when they head north of the border to take on CF Montreal in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinal.