Alonso Martínez's hat-trick leads NYCFC to a crazy win over FC Dallas | OneFootball

Before New York City FC played FC Dallas in the final match of the four-game road trip, the Pigeons received some bad news.  Captain Thiago Martins had knee surgery and will miss four to six weeks before he can resume training.  As such, Tayvon Gray had to slot into the center-back position and partner with Justin Haak.  The natural right-back can play there, but the question of whether they could win without Martins was out there.

While it was not pretty, NYCFC won 4-3 to win their third road game of the season.  A rough first half defensively allowed Dallas to score all of their goals.  But an ugly but more concise second-half defensive performance kept NYCFC within earshot of securing all three points.

As a result, NYCFC ended the road trip with a 2-1-1 record. Truthfully, with the Pigeons' road struggles, this was a wonderful surprise. Plus, the unbeaten streak against Dallas lives to see another game.

Meanwhile, Nicolás Fernández Mercau was available off the bench after he was officially registered yesterday.  The new Designated Player came on in the 61st minute and had a fantastic debut.

NYCFC wins a beautiful and ugly game

When the opening whistle blew, FC Dallas took charge right away, and NYCFC almost gave up a goal within the first minute.  Gray gave the ball away, and Petar Musa pounced on the defender’s mistake.  Matt Freese subsequently had to take action by making the save.  Sloppy defensive work followed within those first few minutes, sparking fear that this would be another terrible away match.

In some ways, this was not a great game based on the defensive errors.  But NYCFC fought and dug in, competing with the Texas side.  And despite not being consistent with all aspects of the game, the Pigeons were strong offensively, with the fact that they scored four goals.

Jonathan Shore actually scored the opener in the hectic battle in the 11th minute, scoring his first goal for the club.  A directed header in front of the goal from a corner kick saw the midfielder become the youngest scorer in team history at 18 years and 103 days old.

However, the poor defense quickly allowed Dallas’ first two goals in the 15th and 17th minutes.  Haak and Kevin O’Toole failed to close down Musa with the first goal, and easily put the ball past Freese this time around.  Then, just overall poor defending allowed Logan Farrington plenty of space to put his side ahead.

That did not last long either, though, for Maxi Moralez sent a pitch-perfect pass to Alonso Martínez.  The Costa Rican powered through the home team’s defense, maneuvered himself to take a shot, and slid the ball into the back of the net in the 22nd minute.

Afterward, the teams appeared to settle in, with some shakiness for the NYCFC backline becoming a recurring theme.  Therefore, it was not shocking that Dallas scored again.  In stoppage time of the first half, the Boys in Blue had multiple chances to intervene or clear the ball.  They failed to do so, and Musa forced Freese to make another save.  But Farrington pounced on the rebound to score his brace.

Oh, but guess what?  The Dallas player was not the only one to score twice.  In the first minute of the second half, Martínez scored, securing his own brace.  With one touch and power, he again leveled the game.

After the craziness of the first half and the start of the second half, things calmed down when it came to scoring goals.  Yet, both teams were eager for the winner, generating attacking sequences when they had possession.

Plus, Pascal Jansen made some changes at halftime to settle down the defense.  Shore came out for Agustín Ojeda, which, of course, was an offensive move.  But Mitja Ilenič, who was superb moving up the right side of the pitch, came out for an often controversial Strahinja Tanasijević.  This pushed Gray back into the right-back position, and he performed better in the second half.

But it was the addition of Fernández Mercau for the final third of the game that truly made the difference for the Pigeons.  NYCFC’s movement into the attack felt smoother, and his touches were impactful.  His ability to maneuver around players, draw fouls, and pick out players was on full display in his first appearance.

More importantly, he earned the assist on the Bronx team’s winning goal.  His pass to Martínez was brilliantly done, sending the ball ahead of him, and the Costa Rican scored his hat-trick. Dallas' goalkeeper, Maarten Paes, mistakenly came off his line, and Martínez struck his third powerful goal of the night to win the match in the 84th minute.

The win is a perfect way to end a road trip and start preparing for the first round of the Leagues Cup. NYCFC should have been better defensively, but they scored the goals to leave Texas with all three points.