New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after the impressive 2-0 win in Queens over a dangerous DC United.
Funny what a well-executed win will do to your player ratings, which climbed considerably over the ones you handed out last week after the 2-0 win over the New England Revolution. Same result, same score, different vibe: The squad we watched play on Saturday night were more composed and creative, and your numbers show it.
It was mostly 6s last week, and mostly 7s now. Even more interesting to the Behavioral Science and Statistics divisions here at HRB, your numbers are close to those produced by the FotMob algorithm. Usually, half of your ratings are 1 to 2 points lower than those of FotMob. This week it’s more like .2 points, and some align perfectly.
One exception is Mounsef Bakrar. You rated him a 5.2, while FotMob gave him a 7.2. The striker might have one of the best xGs in Major League Soccer, but he has yet to score in nine appearances, and it looks like the hockey assist he provided to Santiago Rodríguez’s opening goal wasn’t enough for him to earn your love.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Mounsef Bakrar, off 77′ (7.2) – 5.2
Santiago Rodríguez (9.1) – 8.9
Hannes Wolf, off 90′ (8.5) – 7.2
Agustín Ojeda, off 72′ (7.3) – 7.0
Keaton Parks (7.1) – 7.2
James Sands (7.4) – 7.3
Mitja Ilenič (7.5) – 7.7
Kevin O’Toole (7.0) – 7.0
Thiago Martins (7.5) – 7.5
Birk Risa (6.9) – 7.0
Matt Freese (7.0) – 7.8
Julián Fernández, on 72′ (7.6) – 7.4
Jovan Mijatović, on 77′ (6.5) – 5.2
Andrés Perea, on 90′ (NR) – 6.0
Player Spotlight
It was the best performance of the year thus far for Hannes Wolf, whose assist to Rodríguez helped put New York City in the driver’s seat. Santi’s clinical finish was a thing of beauty, but Wolf did the heavy lifting that made that goal possible.
First, he dispossessed a United player in the defensive third, knocking the ball to a Bakrar. Then, he made a run into open space to get the ball back just inside the United half, sprinting up the right flank. Next, he carried the ball toward the top of the box, threading a pass through three United defenders to find a wide-open Rodríguez ready to take his shot. It was more than an impressive physical run of play, it was one good decision after another.
No better way to mark your 100th appearance in @MLS 🤩 pic.twitter.com/RuKY0VN5Cb
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) April 21, 2024
Wolf’s numbers on the night were excellent: Four chances created, 91% passing accuracy, and 2 shots on target. He was 3-for-3 with accurate long balls, made 9 recoveries, 1 interception, and won 4 ground duels.
A game like that is more in line with FotMob’s 8.5 than the 7.2 given by our readers.
Nick Cushing – 6.5
This well-earned win earned Nick Cushing his highest rating of the year.
Was it because of the clean sheet? United’s Christian Benteke is one of the three or four most dangerous attackers in the league, and a defense that wasn’t nearly as physical or fast as the DC striker nevertheless held him to just two shots, neither of which were on target. Chalk that up to tactics: The New York City defense swarmed Benteke when he had the ball, using their numbers to choke off the space around him.
Was it because of the two goals? New York City aren’t exactly scoring at will, but they’ve found the back of the net in four consecutive games after going scoreless in three of the first five games this season.
Malik Badawi – 6.2
It looks like everybody had a good night, even the gentleman running around with the whistle. Malik Badawi was fair to both sides and showed restraint: He let the game flow.
Badawi called 25 fouls in total, including three yellow cards, and he didn’t make any glaring errors. You can’t ask for much more than that.
Player of the Match
Santiago Rodríguez
Did something change in Rodríguez?
The moody midfielder who can run hot and cold is suddenly bossing game after game like the Designated Player he was signed to be. Consistency is just as important as quality play, and right now Rodríguez is displaying both.
His goal and assist against United are only part of the exceptional performance he put in on Saturday night. Rodríguez also created 4 chances, made 8 successful dribbles, and won 13 ground duels. He launched an attack, then tracked back to defend when United countered. He was everywhere.
And then there was that goal and that assist. You can watch the goal above, in the Player Spotlight profile of Wolf. The assist is below, and it isn’t so different from what Wolf provided to Rodríguez earlier in the game: A run along the right flank, a well-weighted ball that evades all defenders to find a waiting Julián Fernández. Sharing is caring.
Julián 🤝 Scoring goals in stoppage time pic.twitter.com/2RfBLsPirJ
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) April 21, 2024
This is the fourth time you voted Rodríguez the Player of the Match. That draws him even with goalkeeper Matt Freese, who also has four. It also draws him even with the number of POTMs he earned in all of 2023.
We’re just nine games into the 2024 season, but if Rodríguez keeps it up, he’s well on his way to logging the best year in his career.
on top of everyone’s stellar performance and glorious—albeit that Doyle downsized it as against ‘missing pieces’ DC lol—win, what really made it different IMO was Nick didn’t try to park the bus in the 2nd half. finally he’s realizing the small balls not working? good for him.
This was the first game of the year that I could classify as an encouraging performance from start to finish. We’ve had good moments earlier in the season but there was usually a let down. This was the first good game bell to bell. Sure, DC wasn’t at their best, but still. This is a win the team can build on.