Tayvon Gray's late header wins the game for NYCFC against the Philadelphia Union | OneFootball

New York City FC traveled to Chester, Pennsylvania, to take on the Philadelphia Union in a Sunday matchup.  This was the first meeting since the Pigeons won the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Union, so it was easy to believe that this would be a tense battle.  The home side wanted to take revenge, while the visitors from the Big Apple wanted to win their second in a row in Chester.

And, the Boys in Blue did so, winning 2-1 thanks to a game-winning goal by Tayvon Gray.  It was not easy, though, for a good portion of the match involved a lot of solid work in the defense.

The good news entering the game for NYCFC was that Keaton Parks was back in the Starting XI.  He made his return for the first time since June last week.  The midfielder came on as a substitute against the LA Galaxy, and the fact that he has already started again and played the whole match is a great sign.

Nicolás Fernández Mercau also started as the striker again, between there and the right side throughout the fixture.  Hannes Wolf initially started as the left-winger, but quickly moved to the right.  This made a major difference in his offensive ability, and this change was helpful for the most part.

NYCFC secures win with a late goal

The game began with NYCFC dominating possession and putting together some really good passes. However, Philadelphia figured out the visitors after about six minutes, and then the match became all about the home side for the next 20 minutes.  The Pigeons had to turn on their defensive engines and gave the ball away too often.

Afterward, NYCFC found themselves again, but the Union remained threatening.  But the Boys in Blue were stronger offensively, actually finding shots on target, unlike the Galaxy match.  Agustín Ojeda had a chance to put his team ahead in the 26th minute, but his shot was slightly off, and the ball hit the right post of the goal.  Kevin O’Toole also had a great chance in the 29th minute with a header, but Andre Blake saved that.

Unlike the LA match, the Pigeons did everything to make sure that they did not have to climb back into the game.  The team worked together, and eventually, the first goal belonged to NYCFC.

In the 36th minute, Ojeda had a great run on the left side of the pitch in the Philadelphia half and found Nicolás Fernández Mercau.  The Argentine took his shot as he ran toward the goal on the left side, but Blake’s quick reaction kept him out of the goal.  But Wolf was on the hunt and in the right spot.  He pounced on the rebound and put NYCFC in front.

The constant danger would not go away, though.  NYCFC continued to have periods where they had to be perfect defensively.  In fact, the Union maintained possession more in the second half, and spent too much time in Matt Freese’s box.  The goalkeeper was extremely busy, but everyone contributed to the defensive work.

Although around halfway through the second half, there were calls for a penalty kick after Philadelphia players thought that Raul Gustavo committed a foul on Jovan Lukić.  After VAR, it was not deemed a foul, and the referee told the teams to continue play.  Truth be told, it looked like there was contact, but it was weak and hard to tell.  More than likely, because it was not clear and obvious, the call was not made.

Oh, but what was clear and obvious was that the home side was angry.  And from that point on, NYCFC was predominantly defending except for a few counters.  There was a change in the air, and Philadelphia’s anger led to an offensive ferocity that was lacking earlier in the match.

However, the Pigeons had a chance to double their lead, not once, but twice.  Seymour Reid, who came on as a substitute, had a chance in the 82nd minute when nobody was in front of him when he ran beyond the halfway point, and easily could have scored.  But rather than waiting and going around Blake, he took the shot a little too early and right at the keeper.  This led to the greatest missed chance of the match.

The striker had a chance again to put the game away, but he failed to take a concrete shot in front of the goal in the 86th minute, with Blake again coming up big for the Union.

But three minutes later, Philadelphia tied the game.  This time, Thiago Martins clearly committed a foul in the box, pulling Stas Korzeniowski down.  There was some argument that the two players were going after the ball, but alas, the call was made.  As such, the home team was given a penalty kick.  Indiana Vassilev took the kick and easily brought the match level.

But the Pigeons were given a small lifeline when they went up a man for a second game in a row.  And finally, they controlled the rest of the match.  NYCFC knew they were giving the match away after the hard defensive work.  A penalty kick should not have decided the game.

Thankfully, they were hungry for the second goal.  For the rest of stoppage time, in which ten minutes were given, they kept trying and trying.  In the 99th minute, Gray was in the right place at the right time and headed the ball past the incredible Blake.  The right-back won the game for NYCFC, and the Bronx side secured the three points.

It was a story of two halves.  The first half was better offensively, and the second half required the team to be strong defensively.  Yes, there was that mishap with Martins giving up the penalty kick.  But the never-back-down mentality, and honestly, the red card that led NYCFC to be up a man at the end, led to the win.