3 things we learned from NYCFC's 4-0 win over Atlanta United FC | OneFootball

On Thursday, New York City FC played against Atlanta United FC in what was Ronny Deila’s first game back in the Big Apple as the head coach of the Five Stripes.  In their first meeting, he led his Atlanta team to a comeback win over the Pigeons, so the home side wanted to take all three points this time around.  And thankfully, they got their revenge, winning 4-0 in what was a superb game.

It was a little bit of a slow start, similar to NYCFC’s comeback draw against Nashville SC.  But after Maxi Moralez scored in the 44th minute, the floodgates opened up for the Bronx side.  In a period of five minutes, Mounsef Bakrar and Hannes Wolf scored three goals beginning in the 55th minute.  Bakrar started it, and then Wolf ended it with a brace.

Since this was the lone home game of June, this was a vital win for NYCFC.  The Boys in Blue have had a roller coaster season thus far, and this was definitely one of the higher parts of the track.

So, without further ado, let’s look at three things that we learned from NYCFC’s 4-0 win over Atlanta.

3 things we learned from NYCFC’s 4-0 win

3. Hannes Wolf might be finding his consistent form

In the last match, Wolf was the hero for NYCFC, scoring a brace in the second half to secure a comeback draw on the road against Nashville.  He has been criticized, though, about his issues with consistency.  Sometimes he is an unstoppable force, and other times he is just some guy on the pitch.

This time, he scored another brace.  His first goal was a curling ground ball that went into the bottom right corner, and his second goal was chip-like since he sent it slightly over a fallen Brad Guzan.  The Atlanta keeper did get a hand to the ball, but barely, and Wolf watched the ball dribble into the goal.

Plus, the winger assisted on the opening goal from Maxi Moralez.  Overall, he was brilliant in the attack, for he constantly moved the ball forward and created openings for goal-scoring chances.

Based on the last few games, Wolf might be finding his consistent form.  He has five goals in the last four matches and has been productive in the final third.  If he can continue to play this way for NYCFC, then the winger will be a game-changer heading into a busy summer.

2. NYCFC was lucky in the first half

For a few minutes, it felt like the Bronx team was about to hit some bad luck.  In the 13th minute, it looked like Tomás Romero committed a foul in the box on Atlanta’s Jamal Thiaré.  The referee did not stop play right away, and instead waited until he was advised to take a second look via VAR.

So, he did, and truthfully, it was thought that the visitors were about to earn a penalty kick.  However, shockingly, Romero escaped, for after a long review, it was ruled that there was no foul in the box.

NYCFC was very lucky to receive that call, for it looked like the goalkeeper committed a foul.  It was dangerous and not a smart move as well.  If a different referee was looking at the video, then they might have given him a red card.  The argument can be made that he got a tiny bit of the ball, but it looked like the foul and contact on Thiaré happened first.

Nevertheless, Romero and NYCFC were lucky to get away with the foul.  For the sake of accuracy and consistency, it would be nice to see referees make the right calls in every game.  But the Pigeons know well what it is like to be on the end of bad calls, so it was nice for a change that they were the beneficiary of one.

1. Wolf’s tribute to Graz

Wolf was born and raised in Graz, Austria.  As such, it was not surprising to see him honor his city during the match.  On Tuesday, there was a rare school shooting in his hometown.  In total, 10 people were killed by the gunman, with nine of them being students.

It is always awful to see and hear about school shootings, but many here in the United States have somewhat become used to these awful stories.  But in Europe, that is not the case.  The shock level Austria probably felt was similar to the earlier shootings here.

So, when Wolf scored his first goal of his brace, he lifted his shirt, which said “For the victims.  For peace.  For Graz.”  The emotion on his face was visible, and it was a beautiful moment that sadly occurred from a devastating event.

Here at Skyscraper Blues, our heart also goes out to the city of Graz and all of the victims, their family, and their friends.