Andrés Perea leads NYCFC to draw with RBNY as team's star suffers awful injury | OneFootball

Sports Illustrated Stadium.  Harrison, New Jersey.  New York City FC was in a state to play the team with an identity crisis.  Despite playing in New Jersey, the real New York team wanted to remind their rivals who the true New York team is.

Sadly, unlike the U.S. Open Cup match, the Boys in Blue fell short in getting the win.  The points were shared, ending in a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls. The result was not perfect, but after a poor first half, the draw was an acceptable outcome.  And, fans understand that just because they won the last two games in Major League Soccer, it does not mean that everything will be all sunshine and rainbows.

In fact, despite the result, there was more rain, lightning, and thunder.  And no, it was not about the weather.  Rather, the loss of Maxi Moralez stunned everyone and still left fans not feeling great after the fixture.  The Argentine went down injured in the first half, and unfortunately, it might be his ACL again.

Meanwhile, it was not shocking that Head Coach Pascal Jansen went with the same starting lineup as the previous two games.  These players beat the Columbus Crew and Charlotte FC.

NYCFC earns a comeback draw in the derby

What was shocking was that at the start of the game, the Red Bulls attacked, attacked, and attacked.  NYCFC appeared to forget how to play the beautiful game.  They were defending well at first, but like a machine that is used often, the backline was being utilized a little too much.

Then, when the Pigeons had the ball, they were lackluster in the attack in the first half, minus a few good chances here and there.  It was all about the home team, and the blue side needed to survive.

But around the 36th minute, the worst thing that could happen, happened.  Moralez was attempting to steal the ball back and went down immediately with an apparent non-contact injury.  He might have run into a Red Bull player in the stealing attempt, but there was, of course, nothing there.

Sadly, by watching Moralez’s reaction and the treatment on the field, it is easy to believe that fans might get the worst possible news, as it appears to be his ACL again.  If that is the case, then that might be it for the 39-year-old.

To make matters worse, the mostly strong defense, despite the attack, faltered in the 44th minute.  Nico Cavallo, Raul Gustavo, and Thiago Martins all failed to stop the ball in that succession.  Jorge Ruvalcaba took his opportunity and pounced to put RBNY ahead.

The energy was just wiped out of NYCFC and the fans who made the short trip for the road match.  Hope seemed to have disappeared, but one man kept it alive.

In the 52nd minute, the Bronx team was given a free kick on the right side in their own attack.  Nicolás Fernández Mercau stood over the ball and swept it into the box.  Andrés Perea, who came on for the injured Moralez, was in the right spot.  He jumped up and headed the ball into the goal to tie the match.  Hope was somewhat alive again.

In addition, Malachi Jones, who came on for the second half, provided a little more energy in the attack.  While RBNY was still dangerous, the constant threat seen in the first half was not there. There was more competition, and Jones had six shots in the second half plus stoppage time.

Still, NYCFC had to remain diligent in the defense, working overtime when their rivals had the ball.  But at least now the Pigeons were in the game.

They almost scored again from another free kick, too.  In the 73rd minute, Fernández Mercau, from about the same spot as before, put the ball into the box.  But this time, the post stopped the ball to help the home team.

As a whole, the second half was much better for the Boys in Blue.  NYCFC went from having two shots in the first half to 15 total by the time the Hudson River Derby ended.

And like any derby, there were some shoves, pushes, and verbal arguments between the two sides.  It was feisty, and there were some fouls that were not called that likely should have been.  But alas, a point on the road means nothing, because the Boys in Blue might have seen the last of Moralez.

Yes, fans must await the news, and nothing is official.  But when one watches enough soccer, and sees enough ACL tears and knee injuries, sometimes, it is easy to make that assumption.

Life is not fair.  Neither is the beautiful game.  And losing Moralez, who sometimes plays like he is 29 rather than 39, will be awful for NYCFC.