Alonso Martínez is the hero as NYCFC secures comeback win over Nashville SC | OneFootball

New York City FC knew the pressure was on to win on Sunday when the team faced Nashville SC. They played at home at Yankee Stadium, so with six of the final ten matches at home, the Boys in Blue knew they had to start the rest of the season well to continue the chase to climb the Eastern Conference standings. They did just that, winning 2-1.

Unquestionably, Pascal Jansen put out a strong lineup to take on the Music City team.  Of course, there was the concern about the backline.  Thiago Martins continues to be out, and Raul Gustavo is not yet available.  Hence, the center-back partnership with Strahinja Tanasijević and Justin Haak had to be perfect.

In the end, they were not perfect, for the defense allowed a goal.  But NYCFC did not just sit and allow Nashville to walk all over them.  They fought back to get the win.

Plus, it was not ugly like the FC Dallas win.  NYCFC, despite initially struggling, were stronger defensively and controlled the pace of play.  The Pigeons had 54% of the possession and had 12 shots with four on target.  Their passing accuracy was slightly higher compared to their opponents, but they also had about 100 more passes.

NYCFC earns vital three points against Nashville

When the match began, it was clear Nashville was better prepared for the start.  The visitors were extremely threatening, and NYCFC was a mess defensively.  So, Jacob Shaffelburg took advantage of this and scored in the tenth minute.  Hany Mukhtar sent a pitch-perfect pass to him, and with no defenders to stop him, thanks to a missed tackle by Justin Haak, Shaffelburg put the ball past Matt Freese, who had come off his line to try and make the save.

But as the game progressed, NYCFC improved and eventually became equally threatening.  As mentioned, they did not sit back and accept that the Music City team was better than them and that they should lose.  Instead, they fought tooth and nail to level the score.

The fight worked, for the Pigeons tied the match in the 39th minute.  Hannes Wolf, who was the hero in the last game between the teams, assisted Andrés Perea with a beautiful pass to him in the box.  Perea subsequently took a few steps, moved around a few defenders, and struck the ball on the ground into the right side of the net.

It was a great goal that was needed.  Sadly, lightning in the area sparked a rain delay, which meant the Boys in Blue could not continue their recent effort on the pitch.  They had to wait over an hour before play could resume.

In the few minutes they had left before halftime, Nashville had a solid chance to go ahead via a corner kick, but Freese and the backline kept the game 1-1.

It was not as shaky at the start of the second half, and Alonso Martínez finally arrived in the game.  He had his first shot in the 51st minute, in which the ball went wide of the goal.  He then had his first shot on target one minute later, but it went directly to Nashville’s goalkeeper, Joe Willis.

More importantly, the backline stuck together and played solidly to keep Nashville from finding a second goal.  It helped that they struggled offensively in the final third during the second period of 45 minutes.  And, NYCFC kept on attacking.  They were committed to gaining all three points, and this showed in the match.

So, in the 77th minute, the Pigeons were in the middle of one of their attacking sequences, and substitute Agustín Ojeda made a great run towards the box on the left side of the pitch.  With ferocity, he sent the ball across the goal, and Martínez was in the right place at the right time.  Falling, the Costa Rican tapped the ball into the goal to give NYCFC the lead.

That would be enough, for the final score was 2-1.  The consistent attack and never-back-down mentality were at a high for the home side.  It was not easy, but the Boys in Blue found a way to secure three points at home.

While NYCFC did not move up the table, they are still in eighth place, with six of the teams ahead of them having played one or two more games compared to the Pigeons.  Ideally, the team will continue to, at a minimum, win at home.