NYCFC puts the Fire out on the road with a win over Chicago | OneFootball

New York City FC knew they had a tough road match ahead of them when they faced Chicago Fire FC this weekend.  The Fire was only two points behind them in the standings entering the game, so a loss would see the Pigeons drop in the Eastern Conference table.  Thankfully, they won 3-1.

Notably, Raul Gustavo made his first appearance and start for the Boys in Blue.  The center-back stepped in to partner with Thiago Martins while Justin Haak moved into the midfield.  Gustavo had a decent first start, but it will be interesting to see whether he becomes Martins’ partner as the weeks continue.

Truthfully, the game saw two sides of NYCFC play.  There was the team that dominated possession and controlled the match, outplaying their opposition.  Then, there was the team that played defensively, locking in and only attacking on the counter.  The adjustments throughout, especially when the Fire woke up in the second half, helped secure three points.

While NYCFC has not lost to Chicago since 2021, it was still not a walk in the park.  The players had to focus and play solid football to keep the home side to one goal.

NYCFC scores three to beat the Fire

Similar to the last meeting, Chicago got on the board first.  Tayvon Gray gave the ball away, sending it right to Brian Gutiérrez.  The player subsequently moved towards the goal and picked out Philip Zinckernagel on the left.  The Danish player took a few speedy steps and swept the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal in the 13th minute.

NYCFC was not fazed by the goal.  Instead, they spent plenty of time with the ball in the first half, giving the Boys in Blue opportunities to create attacking plays.  Although, they only had four shots in the first half.

But two were on target, and all it took was one of them to tie the match in the 40th minute.  Kevin O’Toole sent the ball across the box in front of the goal, more than likely aiming for the team’s leading scorer, Alonso Martínez.  But Nicolás Fernández Mercau was also in front of the goal, and Chicago’s goalkeeper, Chris Brady, was focused on his teammate.  This enabled the Argentine to easily tap in the ball and level the match.  It was also his first goal with NYCFC.

Meanwhile, the Pigeons continued to attack, especially when the second half began.  But the big aspect of their game against the Fire was the press.  The Boys in Blue did well with pressing the home side, forcing them to make passes they did not want to make and sometimes intercepting the ball.

As such, it felt like another goal was destined for NYCFC, and in the 57th minute, they scored to take the lead.  The visitors had a corner kick, and Fernández Mercau put the ball into the box.  Gustavo headed the ball into the ground, and it fell to Martínez.  This time, the striker maneuvered himself and shot the ball through traffic, putting the ball through a Chicago defender’s legs.

Afterward, the match became a little nerve-racking.  The Fire began to dominate possession and became extremely threatening for the rest of the fixture.  Hence, NYCFC had to dial in defensively, relying on many cleared balls, blocks, and Matt Freese's brilliance between the sticks.

It could have been that Chicago found their energy, or perhaps the press drained the visiting side.  But like the Pigeons in the first part of the second half, it felt like the Fire was close to finding their second since they took over the pace of play.

However, a mistake in stoppage time by the home side saw NYCFC put the cherry on top of their road performance.  A giveaway near their goal saw Agustín Ojeda receive the ball.  The substitute picked out his fellow substitute, Seymour Reid, and the teenager kept himself onside in the box.  With a striker’s precision, he curled the ball on the ground into the right side of the goal.