By Chris Tsakonas
New York City kicked off the second half of the MLS season on a high note with a 2-1 road win against the Columbus Crew at Scott’s MiracleGro Field tonight. Nico Fernandez Mercau opened the scoring off a 28th minute penalty, with Agustin Ojeda bagging the second goal in the 70th minute.
Here are three observations from tonight’s match.
Penalty kick breaks deadlock
It was a very slow start to the match for both sides, with no shots at all through the first 25 minutes. Agustin Ojeda ran into the right side of the penalty area, where he was brought down by Max Arfsten to draw the penalty kick.
Nico Fernandez Mercau converted from the spot for his 11th goal of the season to put the Pigeons up 1-0.
Pigeons keep Columbus bottled up defensively
Even after New York City drew first blood near the half hour mark, Columbus struggled to create quality scoring chances.
The Crew’s first big chance didn’t come until the 41st minute, when Jamal Thiare narrowly missed a close-range effort off a free kick cross.
Columbus picked up the pace in the second half, but New York City did a good job of keeping them contained. Matt Freese made three saves for the Pigeons in his return from World Cup duty, capped off by a diving stop against Taha Habroune in the 48th minute. Columbus pulled one back in the third minute of second half stoppage time with a penalty kick goal from Daniel Gazdag.
Counter attack pays off for New York City
While New York City’s defense successfully staved off an equalizer in the second half, the Pigeons’ attack continued to push for an insurance goal. New York City had a couple of good chances, including a Fernandez Mercau direct free kick in the 60th minute that ricocheted off the crossbar.
In the 70th minute, the chance finally came off the counter. James Sands played a long ball out of the back to find Talles Magno with space on the left flank. Magno played the ball across the six-yard box to set up Ojeda for the point-blank finish.
Next Up
It’s a quick turnaround for New York City FC, with only two days off before returning to the five boroughs to host Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire. Live radio commentary with Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence will begin at 7:15 p.m. at newyorkcityfc.com/radio and the Apple TV Home Radio feature.
