3 things we learned from NYCFC's disastrous loss to Inter Miami CF | OneFootball

On Wednesday night, New York City FC welcomed Inter Miami CF to Citi Field in front of their biggest crowd of the season.  Of course, the Lionel Messi impact brings in casual fans of the Boys in Blue and Messi supporters when the Herons are on the road.  But there was plenty of City Blue.  Sadly, the Pigeons lost 4-0, losing to the Florida side for just the second time in club history.

Truthfully, they played well defensively for 43 minutes and then about two-thirds of the second half.  They also had some chances in the first half that were missed opportunities.  But an insane decision by Pascal Jansen to take out Thiago Martins in the 73rd minute and put Aiden O’Neill into the backline led to the breakdown of the NYCFC defense.

Afterward, Miami scored three goals.  The Boys in Blue would have had a chance if the score had been 1-0.  Also, with goal differential as the second tiebreaker, every goal allowed could make a difference in the standings.  That is why losing 1-0 is better than losing 4-0.

The loss was not good by any means.  Plus, this makes the final games even more important.  After the disappointing result, here are three things we learned from NYCFC’s loss to Inter Miami CF.

NYCFC needed Nicolás Fernández Mercau to score

Nicolás Fernández Mercau started as the center-forward since Alonso Martínez was on the bench due to a quad injury.  As such, the pressure to score was high.  The new Designated Player has only scored once, but since he joined NYCFC, he has impacted the play of the team immensely.

Nevertheless, the team desperately needed Fernández Mercau to score.  He had the perfect opportunity, too, in the 29th minute.  The attacker maneuvered himself around Miami defenders and eventually just had the goalkeeper in front of him.  But instead of shooting the ball on target, he sent it wide.

This moment was one that fans knew Fernández Mercau should have scored.  Since he did not, there was the possibility the miss would come back to haunt them.  And, as everyone knows, it did.  If he had scored, then maybe the game would have gone in a different direction.  Of course, nobody knows, because the Herons still could have scored four times.

Regardless, NYCFC should have been better in the final third.  The missed opportunities and some of the lackluster clinical effort influenced the outcome of the game.  If they had a goal or two, then maybe Jansen would not have taken out Martins.

Pascal Jansen was responsible for the 4-0 loss

As such, this leads to the idea that Jansen was responsible for the 4-0 loss.  Now, it is not to say that the head coach is why NYCFC lost at home.  Rather, he is the reason why Miami scored three of their four goals.

As mentioned, Jansen took out Martins in the 73rd minute.  Rather than replacing him with a center-back or moving Tayvon Gray in next to Justin Haak, he sent Aiden O’Neill into the spot.  This move subsequently broke down the backline, and within a minute, the Herons were up 2-0.  Then, by the 86th minute, NYCFC was down 4-0 at home.

For anyone watching, it was clear that Martins was vital to the defense.  The Pigeons were losing, but they were still in the match when they were down 1-0.  By taking out the captain, Miami was given the opportunity to pounce.  And, they did.  The Queens’ side never had a chance to win because of this decision.  Plus, taking O’Neill out of the midfield weakened the middle part of the lineup.  Jonathan Shore is a great player, but it seemed the game was a little too much for him when he was subbed on.

If Jansen wanted to take out a defender, then he should have taken out Gray or Kevin O’Toole.  But even that would have been risky.  The best option would have been Gray, but replacing him with his fellow right-back, Mitja Ilenič.  Yet, the head coach did not do that.

The substitution decisions ultimately led to the 4-0 loss.  NYCFC could have competed until the end, but Jansen impeded that ability.  This was his worst-managed game with the Boys in Blue, and he rightfully should be criticized.

At least NYCFC fans are not plastic

The result was not great.  In the end, Miami was the better team compared to NYCFC.  But at the very least, fans of the team from the Big Apple can appreciate the fact that the supporters today are not plastic, and were there for the good and bad times in the past, and will be there in the future.

In Miami’s case, they have Messi and other stars where people are watching for them, especially Messi.  Once the superstar retires, one should assume that the crowds will decline and that the Herons will go through some tough times.  What the team is doing right now is not sustainable, especially if the salary cap rules do not drastically change in the next few years.  But there is no question that people will stop supporting the team because they are only there for Messi.

In NYCFC’s case, they have turned into a team of developing stars in the league.  Sure, it would be nice to have one big-name player.  But they should not do what Miami did, because that can hurt them in the end.