A story of two halves: NYCFC falls to Philadelphia Union despite initial lead | OneFootball

The chase to climb up the standings in the Eastern Conference table begins now.  New York City FC will play only Major League Soccer games from here on out, and the first match was on Sunday against the Philadelphia Union.  Fans knew that the Pennsylvania team’s 14th place in the standings meant nothing, for they had won their last three games.  And they were right to be concerned.  NYCFC lost 3-2 despite having a 2-0 lead.

That old saying rang true, that 2-0 leads are dangerous.  NYCFC had a fantastic first half, shining in attack and defense.  But the second half turned to mush, and now they have lost their fourth fixture at home this season.

On a positive note, the game had a few firsts for the Boys in Blue.  First, forward and summer signing Luighi earned his first MLS start.  Max Murray did as well, as the young center-back continued to fill in for the injured Thiago Martins.  Moreover, it was the 150th MLS game at Yankee Stadium for NYCFC.

Alas, a loss is a loss, and this was one that the team could not afford. Sadly, that is the story of two halves.

NYCFC had a great first half

The game started quickly, as NYCFC was given a penalty kick just a few minutes in.  Andrés Perea was fouled in the box after carefully making sure he did not have contact with the initial ball, keeping him onside after Philadelphia touched the ball.  But he was pulled down, and another summer signing, who has more pressure on him, Bénie Traoré, had a shot at scoring his first goal for the club.

In the fourth minute, the forward stepped up and sent the ball to his left, watching it hit the post and bounce into the goal.  A stutter-step ensured that Andre Blake could not properly guess which way he was going, and finally, the Designated Player secured his first goal.

But that did not stop the visitors from being highly threatening, including players like Milan Iloski.  The forward had a chance to tie the game just a few minutes later.  His one-touch volley from outside the box forced Matt Freese into quick action, dropping down to his right to make the stop.

Afterward, the Union dominated with offensive opportunities, especially the red-hot Illoski.  His 22nd-minute shot forced Freese to come off his line and make himself big, while his powerful shot in the 25th went just wide.

However, the NYCFC defensive work was on display.  Everyone, regardless of where they played, contributed.  James Sands and Murray continued to solidify their center-back partnership, with Murray impressing early with his awareness of where the ball was.  More importantly, the defense allowed the Pigeons to regain possession and control it at times.

NYCFC also had chances in the final third, but they were not as threatening compared to the Union for most of the first half.  But around the 39th minute, something switched.  The Pigeons had nine shots between then and halftime, with one of those shots finding the back of the net.

Perea had a shot from outside the box, and Indiana Vassilev had his arm away from his body.  The ball made contact, and a penalty kick was given since the Union player was in the box.  This time, Luighi stepped up to take the penalty kick. As such, he doubled the Pigeons’ lead right before halftime with a calm, cool, and collected penalty kick.

NYCFC's second half led to the loss

The match became a little shaky out of the locker room.  NYCFC gave up a goal in the 48th minute.  Philadelphia had a free kick, and Kai Wagner sent the ball into the box.  It eventually fell to Danley Jean Jacques, and he just kicked the ball around Murray, who had his first poor defensive moment of the evening.

Clearly, the lead was threatened, and NYCFC knew that trying to stay at 2-1 was not a feasible solution.  The Boys in Blue also had a few chances after the Union goal, but really Sands’ header was the only true threat.

And then, the Union tied the game.  Both Sands and Murray failed to stop the sequence, and Cavan Sullivan easily passed the ball to an open Bruno Damiani, who tapped the ball beyond Freese in the 69th minute.

The Pigeons were on their way to somewhat repeating themselves from what they did in the Club Necaxa game on Thursday.  They initially had the lead, but lost after giving up two goals.  They were brilliant defensively in the first half, but the backline fell apart in the second.

Sadly, that was the case.  In the 75th minute, Damiani scored again to give Philadelphia the lead.  A breakdown not just in the backline but in the midfield led to the goal.  It was a crazy change from the first 45 minutes.

NYCFC was clearly being outplayed and out-coached.  Pascal Jansen did not have the answers, but his substitution choices were interesting.  The score was 2-1, and he took off both Keaton Parks and Jonathan Shore for Kevin O’Toole and Máximo Carrizo.  Parks was on a minutes restriction, but that completely changed the way the team was playing. O'Toole was not good at all.

It also did not help that Talles Magno and Malachi Jones were not influential when they came on.  The home side was too relaxed, and Philadelphia fought back.

This was another result that should have gone one way but went the other direction, which led to NYCFC's home loss. Again. Now, they have two rough road games ahead of them, including the midweek meeting with FC Cincinnati. This will be a critical time for the Boys in Blue. They need their teammates to come back healthy, and these poor mistakes that have plagued them all year need to stop.