Disappointment in the Bronx: NYCFC falls to D.C. United | OneFootball

With a lot on the line on Saturday, New York City FC knew they had to win against last-place D.C. United.  Their previous games against the formerly last-place CF Montréal ended in losses, so the Pigeons did not want history to repeat itself.  But guess what?  History repeated itself, and the Boys in Blue lost 2-1.

Notably, new signing Raul Gustavo was available off the bench after arriving this week, but did not make an appearance.  In addition. Andrés Perea started the fixture despite having to come out in the first half against FC Cincinnati.  It is kind of a miracle that he was okay, for it truly seemed like he had injured his knee.  Also, Jonathan Shore was fantastic when he came on for his fellow midfielder, so it would have made sense for him to start.

Nevertheless, both players bring different things to NYCFC’s game, so Pascal Jansen could not go wrong with starting one or the other.  Perea performed well, and the starting lineup was the correct option for the head coach.  What was shocking was that he did not make a substitution until the 77th minute.  That clearly hurt the Boys in Blue since they lost.

There was the belief that NYCFC had to win at home during the final stretch of the season.  It is extremely bothersome that they have lost another match against a team they should have beaten on paper.

NYCFC falls to another last-place team

One of the things NYCFC had to do was dominate the possession.  The team did so, maintaining slightly over 60%.  But they needed to utilize that possession for both offensive opportunities and defensive work.  D.C. might be in last place, but they still have the threatening Christian Benteke.  The striker is not having his best season, but he can easily find the back of the net.  Maintaining possession limited his ability to try and score.

Rather, NYCFC scored the first goal in the 19th minute thanks to Justin Haak.  The player scored his first regular-season goal in over two years while Maxi Moralez secured another assist for the fifth Major League Soccer game in a row.  The Argentine put the ball in Haak’s path, and he kicked it into the bottom right side of the goal.

However, as one already knows, the Pigeons could not keep D.C. off the scoreboard.  In the 43rd minute, Gabriel Pirani scored a superb goal from right outside the box.  He hit the ball on the post, and it bounced right into the goal.  There was nothing Matt Freese could do.

Based on the possession, one would assume that NYCFC would have had numerous shots.  That was not the case, but they had more compared to last week.  After the final whistle, the players had ten shots but equaled the four on target.  It is kind of crazy since they spent quite a bit of time in D.C. United’s box and the area around it. One would assume they would have had more.

When all is said and done, NYCFC dominated play, especially in the second half.  Yet, a perfect pass from Benteke, who the home side did well to close down in the goal-scoring department, sent a through-ball to Pirani.  The Brazilian outran the NYCFC defense to have nobody but Freese in front of him.  With ease, he slotted D.C. in front, destroying the hearts of the fans at Yankee Stadium.

This was only the visitor’s second win in the Big Apple.  Moreover, this was another loss to a last-place team.  It is intriguing that the Bronx side can win against some of the top teams in MLS but struggle against some teams well below them.  Is it a mental thing?  Or is it just bad luck?  Does Jansen struggle to lead his team in these types of games?

Dropping three points at home to D.C. is not a good look.  NYCFC should have won.  Sometimes, a game ends where there is not much left to say, other than everyone should be extremely disappointed.