New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings from the 5-1 thumping of the San Jose Earthquakes at Yankee Soccer Stadium, New York City’s fifth straight win.
It was a fifth straight win for New York City FC at Yankee Soccer Stadium on Matchday 16, and the 5-1 pasting of the San Jose Earthquakes meant some very high numbers in your player ratings.
A scoreless match at halftime became a goal-fest after the break, resulting in two attacking players receiving ratings over 9.0. Interestingly, neither of those players was included in Nick Cushing’s Starting XI.
When two substitutes are graded so highly, it stands to reason the coach who sent them on also gets a high grade, which was the case for Cushing. The NYCFC head coach tied his highest rating ever across the two seasons we’ve conducted these post-match surveys.
This has been a period in which almost everything has gone right for New York City, and they’ve been getting contributions from all across the roster. That spreading of the proverbial wealth was evident in these ratings, as 11 of the 16 involved NYCFC players rated at or above a 7.0.
Read on for the full ratings from a dominant Friday night in the Bronx for the home team.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Jovan Mijatović, off 58′ (6.7) – 5.1
Santiago Rodríguez (8.9) – 8.1
Hannes Wolf, off 74′ (8.1) – 7.9
Julián Fernández, off 58′ (5.9) – 6.1
Keaton Parks, off 75′ (8.1) – 7.0
James Sands (8.0) – 7.4
Tayvon Gray (7.8) – 7.6
Kevin O’Toole, off 39′ (6.4) – 6.2
Strahinja Tanasijević (7.0) – 6.3
Birk Risa (7.1) – 7.3
Matt Freese (6.9) – 8.4
Mitja Ilenič, on 39′ (6.2) – 6.7
Alonso Martínez, on 58′ (9.5) – 9.4
Malachi Jones, on 58′ (6.5) – 7.1
Maxi Moralez, on 74′ (7.7) – 9.1
Andrés Perea, on 75′ (7.3) – 7.2
Player Spotlight
Maxi Moralez
It was only 16 minutes, but they were an important, slightly mind-boggling 16 minutes.
Maxi Moralez made his return from the major knee injury suffered last September 2 and was still an immediate difference-maker for New York City.
The 37-year-old entered in the 74th minute with New York City still level with San Jose, replacing Hannes Wolf at a precarious time in the match. The Earthquakes had gained confidence and some momentum after Amahl Pellegrino’s 53rd-minute equalizer.
Moralez would turn back the clock in those 16 minutes off the bench. According to FBref.com, Maxi was responsible for three key passes, six shot-creating actions, two goal-creating actions, and three progressive carries while going a perfect 24-for-24 with his passing.
Most importantly, Moralez added to his club-record assist total by linking up with Alonso Martínez in the 85th minute to make it a 3-1 NYCFC lead.
Maxi 🤝 Alonso pic.twitter.com/RHp9V2XlZk
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) June 1, 2024
That made it 70 assists in his MLS regular season career, and the full performance proved that he still has something to offer New York City even at age 37 and even after the grueling rehab to get back from the ACL tear.
It added up to a performance you rated as a 9.1, second only to the man who came off the bench and scored a hat trick.
He might not hit this high of a level in every remaining 2024 appearance, but the value of having a player of Maxi Moralez’s caliber to bring off the bench when in search of goals and an attacking jolt shouldn’t be underestimated.
Moralez is the best player NYCFC has had in its history—I wrote it when he first left the team late in 2022, Nick Cushing even said it following the comeback performance against the Quakes—and now he has a chance to add to his legacy by being a finishing touch of sorts on this new-look, extremely young New York City team that has climbed to near the top of the table.
Mark Radigan
Nick Cushing – 8.4
This matches the 8.4 Cushing received for his handling of the Hudson River Derby win at Citi Field earlier in May. It’s impossible to rate Cushing poorly when you see a player he has decided to convert to striker come off the bench and score a hat trick in just 32 minutes of game time.
Cushing also had to significantly shuffle his back line to earn this win, as Thiago Martins pulled up injured in warm-ups and Kevin O’Toole limped off with a leg injury after just 39 minutes. It worked, as did Cushing’s willingness to make all five of his substitutions, and relatively early, all entering by the 75th minute.
All season long Cushing has dealt with question marks at striker and around his team’s goal-scoring struggles. Cushing stuck with Mounsef Bakrar and got rewarded, and he’s now sticking with 18-year-old Jovan Mijatović, yet is also being rewarded for his faith and willingness to put clinical finisher Alonso Martínez up at center-forward.
Mark Allatin — 6.1
He pulled the cards out mighty quick in the first half, cautioning Julián Fernández for a foul that sure did not seem yellow card-worthy in the 15th minute, then Strahinja Tanasijević for a sloppy tackle in the 18th. It seemed like it might be a long night of whistle-blowing and with the potential for a sending-off, but things leveled off perhaps as players on each team realized this ref was going to pull his cards out if they pushed it. This rating feels just right, Mark Allatin was fine bordering on less-than-fine.
Player of the Match
Alonso Martínez
The seventh hat trick in New York City’s history was also the fastest hat trick in club history, and the latest one ever scored in MLS.
ICYMI: Under the Friday night lights, @newyorkcityfc‘s Alonso Martínez became the first player in MLS history to score all three goals of a hat trick in the 85th minute or later, with goals in the 85th, 92nd, and 95th minutes. pic.twitter.com/rcEH3iePiK
— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) June 1, 2024
That it was Alonso Martínez, a makeshift striker who has been in and out of New York City’s lineup, marking his name down in the history books is further indication of how much depth there is within the 2024 version of NYCFC.
Martínez has been behind Mounsef Bakrar and Jovan Mijatović on the depth chart but has outproduced both all season long, and provided an instant improvement on the mostly uninvolved Mijatović when he replaced him in the 58th minute.
What stood out from Martínez’s hat trick was his decisiveness. He didn’t hesitate at the crucial moments in front of goal, always seeming to have the instinct needed to pick out the right finish and right moment to strike.
El triplete que quedó en la historia ✍️ pic.twitter.com/hNmkFY1X4m
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) June 2, 2024
The first goal was his toughest take but he kissed it off the inside of the post. The second was an opportunistic pounce on some Quakes foibles at the back, and the third was one of those neat and tidy, clinical finishes we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from Martínez.
According to FBref.com, the Costa Rican forward now ranks third in MLS with 0.35 goals per shot. It shows just how well Martínez has taken advantage of his scoring opportunities.
He may not be the first name written into the Starting XI but he’s been so valuable for NYCFC and is now joint-leading scorer with six goals.
You rated his performance as a 9.4, and Martínez received 75% of the vote for this Player of the Match honor. He shook the Earthquakes and ensured New York City walked out of the Bronx with its fifth straight win.
Matthew Mangam
