New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers — here are your NYCFC player ratings after the 1-2 loss to the Portland Timbers, the first home opener defeat in club history.
For the first 35 minutes of Saturday’s game, New York City looked unstoppable. The attack charged hard at a Portland defense that looked like they were going to buckle and cede so many goals that replacement ref Esteban Rosano would need to evoke the little-used MLS mercy rule.
It didn’t happen. NYCFC did score for the first time this season, breaking a two-game drought. But they didn’t capitalize on what the quants call “Big Chances,” and this fragile team couldn’t protect a one-goal lead in the second half — or a 1-1 draw through eight minutes of stoppage time.
Your ratings reflect that collective performance. The numbers aren’t as savage as they were last week, when New York City were outclassed by a high-pressing St. Louis City that fully earned their 2-0 shutout win. But they aren’t exactly good. They’re not even mediocre.
Only two players earned more than a 6.0, which is the benchmark for an ok performance: It’s what you get when you show up and don’t make any major errors. Another five earned above a 5.0, which is what you get for a bad day at the office. As for the other eight, well, those players might consider taping these ratings to their lockers to motivate them in training this week.
Notably, you reserved your harshest numbers for the substitutes: Julián Fernández, Tayvon Gray, Justin Haak, and Jovan Mijatović have four of the five lowest ratings. You expect more from this team.
Mounsef Bakrar (off 78′) – 4.7
Santiago Rodríguez – 6.8
Hannes Wolf (off 67’) – 6.1
Andres Jasson (off 67′) – 5.1
Keaton Parks – 5.3
Andrés Perea – 5.8
Mitja Ilenič (off 78′) – 4.9
Kevin O’Toole – 4.3
Thiago Martins – 5.0
Birk Risa – 4.9
Matt Freese – 5.1
Julián Fernández (on 67′) – 4.3
Justin Haak (on 67′) – 3.7
Jovan Mijatović (on 78′) – 4.0
Tayvon Gray (on 78′) – 4.6
Player Spotlight
Hannes Wolf earned a 6.1 from our readers, which places him behind only POTM Santiago Rodríguez. But that number feels a little low. Maybe it’s more the product of your overall disappointment with the team rather than frustration with his individual performance.
After all, Wolf created three chances, the most of any player on either squad, and one big chance. He had a passing rate of 89% and was the engine of NYCFC’s scintillating first-half attack. Plus, he missed a shot that would have been a contender for Goal of the Matchday had it gone in — almosts don’t count in soccer, but it was oh-so-close.
Are you holding him accountable for the poor finishing of his teammates? FotMob gave him a 6.8, for what it’s worth.
Nick Cushing – 1.6
Three losses to begin the season: That’s not the worst opening run of form in NYCFC history – in 2020, the COVID-fractured schedule had New York City drop two in March, then two in July – but it’s a poor start by any standard.
How much of this loss is on the head coach? Much of it, according to you: Once again, Nick Cushing gets the lowest rating on the day. The fact is that NYCFC were head-and-shoulders better than Portland in the first half, and Cushing deserves coaching credit for that. They also were completely outrun in the second half, and the gaffer’s substitutes did nothing to lift New York City. Cushing should shoulder that blame.
Esteban Rosano – 3.6
The replacement ref with exactly one MLS game to his credit before this match called 41 fouls in this game, 26 against New York City. Many of those came late in the second half, and looked about as soft as the fuzz on a puppy’s ear. One of those was handed out in the 97th minute, when a Portland free kick just inside the New York City half led to Evander’s game-winning golazo.
The Timbers fully deserved the win. But the ref handing out dead balls to Portland didn’t exactly hurt.
Player of the Match
Santiago Rodríguez
How lucky was Santi’s goal? It’s hard to say. A fortuitous deflection bounces the ball out to a waiting Rodríguez, who lashes between three Portland defenders and a diving goalkeeper. So what if it wasn’t crafted in training? It counted, and New York City finally scored their first goal of 2024.
It also earned Santi your POTM matches. Never mind that the midfielder couldn’t control a game that Portland slowly came to dominate, and that he lost his cool with teammates Thiago Martins and Matt Freese, or that he spent much of the second half shouting at the ref for fouls that weren’t called in his favor.
He was, by any measure, the best New York City player on the field on Saturday. Let’s enjoy his 10th-minute goal, when it looked like this cold, rainy afternoon was going to go NYCFC’s way.
Our number 🔟 to open our account in 2024 👊 pic.twitter.com/oCTMDXWtqv
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) March 9, 2024
The ratings are really harsh. I think people are just pissed off and dissapointed. I think everybody had a solid game besides maybe freese or Bakrar, it was just the poor coaching and tactics that let us down.
I am generally very patient with coaches. They need time to build a team, instill a tactical vision and plan of execution–more time that soccer fans typically give coaches. I gave Cushing the benefit of the doubt all last season, because he didn’t have all the pieces he needed. However, after these three losses, with this individually talented squad looking little better than it did last season, I’ve jumped on the Cushing Out bandwagon. He just doesn’t appear to be the coach for this young team.
There was a lot to like in the first half. Bakrar was an absolute beast and embarrassing their defenders. He was unlucky to not be rewarded for his work with a goal. But the start to the second half was was bad enough, but when Cushing made his subs I knew he was scared to lose and immediately the team played like they were scared to lose. This team has no identity and a frail mentality. It’s going to get worse before it gets better and I don’t see how it gets better without a reset at manager.