There was no magical show in NYCFC's disappointing draw with Toronto FC | OneFootball

New York City FC fans were hoping for a magical evening in the Bronx on Friday when the Pigeons hosted Toronto FC at Yankee Stadium.  It was Harry Potter Night, and the hope was that the home side would win their seventh straight game over the Reds. While that did not happen, NYCFC remained unbeaten against them, ending the fixture in a 1-1 draw.

One major aspect of the starting lineup was that all three of the club’s Designated Players started the game: Talles Magno, Nicolás Fernández Mercau, and Bénie Traoré.  For some reason, Magno started as the center-forward despite the fact that Traoré started the game.

The same thing happened in the last game when the newest DP came on as a substitute.  It was thought that he was brought in to play up front and center for most of the time, but alas, that was not the case.

As it has been mentioned, on paper, NYCFC was supposed to beat Toronto FC.  Sure, the Canadian side put out one of their strongest starting lineups this season.  But the expectation was three points for the home team.  Anything else would not be good enough, and that was thought after the final whistle.

NYCFC and Toronto FC shared the points

Interestingly, Toronto started with their foot on the pedal.  Those first few minutes were a little shaky for NYCFC.  However, the Pigeons ended up on the scoresheet first.  Agustín Ojeda was pushed down in the box by Richie Laryea in what was a clear foul.

As such, Fernández Mercau stepped up to take the penalty kick and easily put the ball away into the right side of the goal in the ninth minute.  Toronto’s goalkeeper, Luka Gavran, actually went in the right direction in his attempt to make the save.  But he failed to stop the Argentine’s power and speed of the shot.

Regardless, the visitors continued to control possession after that goal and looked better in their play.  This meant that the Pigeons had to take their offensive chances on the counterattack.  But it was clear that they were a little uncomfortable in possession and even with their defending.  Perhaps it was the slight change in formation, for Andrés Perea played a little higher than he did in the matches against the Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire FC.

That meant Jonathan Shore played more as the lone defensive midfielder, which is not something Pascal Jansen has done often.  Also, Fernández Mercau was not playing as high as he normally would.  These small changes impacted the Boys in Blue, and this allowed a struggling Toronto side to become a bigger threat than they should have been.

And at the end of the first half, the Reds leveled the game right before halftime.  For the most part, NYCFC was holding onto the lead.  But a sequence of chances gave up the goal.  It started with Josh Sargent’s shot that was blocked by James Sands and subsequently deflected to Dániel Sallói.  The Hungarian’s shot was saved by Matt Freese, but Djordje Mihailovic capitalized on the rebound.

In the second half, there were slight adjustments as to where the Pigeons played, and it also felt like a leash was taken off, allowing more players to move out of position.  Shore, who moved into the attack a few times in the first half, did so more.  Perea also did not play as high the whole time.

Plus, the team felt different.  They had two great chances early on in the second 45 minutes, including a Traoré header chance.  There was also a flurry of chances in the 54th minute in the box.

Somehow, NYCFC did not score then.  And then, James Sands also had a solid shot on goal, forcing Gavran to make the save in the 57th minute.

But just as the home side was finding their groove, Jansen took off both wingers for Hannes Wolf and Malachi Jones, both of whom are talented in their own right.  But those changes killed that boost in the attack, enabling the Reds to get back into the game.  In other words, the head coach may have made those changes too early.

It was not like NYCFC did not have other chances.  Fernández Mercau had a brilliant chance in the 69th minute that went just wide. Perea also had a golazo shot in the 83rd minute, but that was saved. Truthfully, the midfielder should have brought the ball closer to the goal, for he had some space before making the shot.

But as the match got closer to the end, some of the players were playing like they were drowsy or just playing for the draw.  In the end, NYCFC deserved the result.  They should have been better, and Jansen maybe should have adjusted his tactics earlier. Instead, the Pigeons only earned a point.