3 things we learned from NYCFC's Leagues Cup loss to Cruz Azul | OneFootball

On Sunday, New York City FC played Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V. in the second match of Phase One in the Leagues Cup.  Entering the fixture, the Pigeons had a mountain to climb.  Not only was the team without multiple players due to injury, but the Liga MX giants are one of the top teams in North America.  So, it was not unexpected that the match ended in a loss, as NYCFC lost 2-1.

Truthfully, the expectation of a win was very low.  More than likely, many fans probably were going to be okay no matter the result.  After all, the Leagues Cup does not feel that important this season with still a few months left of the Major League Soccer season.  The hope was that Pascal Jansen would do even better in his second season in charge, but with all the injuries and some of the silly mistakes the team has been prone to, that hope has turned to just making the postseason and being able to compete in the fall.

However, NYCFC put up a fight.  Agustín Palavecino and José Paradela scored for Cruz Azul, and Max Murray scored for the Pigeons.  The Mexican side was better with possession and outshot the MLS team 20 to eight.  But the defensive work was mostly superb from the likes of Nico Cavallo, Murray, James Sands, and more.

In the end, the loss is a loss.  Here are three things we learned from the match between NYCFC and Cruz Azul.

Max Murray’s first goal

In the Thursday game against Club Santos Laguna, S.A. de C.V., Murray made his first start for NYCFC.  He was pretty good partnering with Sands in the backline and had moments of brilliance with his defending.  So, it was not shocking that he started again against Cruz Azul.

Murray did well defensively.  He made some vital clearances and stood his ground in the backline.  He also had no issue shadowing players in an attempt to clear the ball.  But on Sunday, his biggest highlight was his first goal for the Pigeons.

Before halftime, NYCFC had a free kick, which Nicolás Fernández Mercau took and sent the ball into the box.  Murray used his size and power to move a little closer to the goal before he fiercely headed the ball into the goal.  He directed the ball away from the goalkeeper, and his six -foot-five height allowed him to tower over others to get the ball in.

After these two matches, fans should be hopeful that Murray will earn more playing time over the next few months.  He has shown Jansen that he deserves to be a part of the conversation.

NYCFC should have focused on health

NYCFC’s injury problems have been talked about a lot over the last few weeks.  They have been without as many as ten players after the World Cup break, but have faced injury problems all season long.  While some players, like Kevin O’Toole and Keaton Parks, are back, too many remain out.

Hence, the focus should be on the squad getting as healthy as possible.  The focus should also be on MLS.  Hence, the Leagues Cup should not be as much of a priority this year.  Still, Jansen has played his best players available while giving more time to players like Murray.  And in a sense, the lineup he put out against Cruz Azul was decent.

But it was not nearly as strong as the Mexican side.  It was impressive that they put up a fight, but truth be told, for the sake of health, it might have been better for more of the younger players or those who need more minutes to play.  It is better to be safe and mix the lineup for this tournament.

The fact that NYCFC made it through the match unscathed is a miracle.  Agustín Ojeda went down at one point in the first half after it looked like he rolled his ankle.  Thankfully, he was okay to continue playing.  But that moment is a great example of why the Leagues Cup should not be important, for losing someone like Ojeda would have been a major loss.

It is okay that NYCFC lost

So, going off the health aspect, that alone is a good enough reason to say that it is okay that NYCFC lost.  Everyone knows that teams pretty much need nine points from nine in the Leagues Cup, for only the top four teams in each league move on to the quarterfinals.  By not moving on, that means the focus can go entirely on MLS.

If NYCFC was close to full health, then the conversation might be different.  Nevertheless, Cruz Azul is one of the top teams in Liga MX, and recently finished the regular season of the Clausura in third place before they won the championship.  Therefore, the Pigeons were going to have a mountain to climb no matter what.