New York City FC fell apart and squandered a 2-0 lead it held through the 78th minute, ending up with a rough 4-2 loss to FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium to finish the Leagues Cup group stage.
“Rough” might also be how you’d describe this current stretch for the team, winless in their last six matches played in all competitions, the only real bright spot being the shootout victory over QuerĂ©taro FC that booked New York City its spot in the tournament’s Round of 32.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Nick Cushing’s squad looked like it was going to get the result it needed to win the group and guarantee a home game (albeit in Harrison, New Jersey) next round, in control—until they very much weren’t anymore, blitzed by Cincinnati and beaten in the blink of an eye.
Your ratings did not judge this collapse kindly, with the players and Cushing harshly graded. Cushing received his lowest rating of the season and two members of his Starting XI ended up in the 3s: The negative vibes cannot be avoided following the late-match meltdown on a humid night in Ohio.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Jovan Mijatović, off 72′ (7.6) – 6.5
Santiago RodrĂguez (8.7) – 6.8
Maxi Moralez (7.6) – 6.6
Julián Fernández, off 74′ (6.7) – 5.5
James Sands, off 59′ (6.1) – 6.2
Justin Haak, off 90′ (5.0) – 4.8
Christian McFarlane, off 74′ (6.5) – 6.1
Birk Risa (5.2) – 3.6
Thiago Martins (5.8) – 5.0
Tayvon Gray, off 59′ (6.8) – 5.9
Luis Barraza (5.8) – 3.0
Mitja IleniÄŤ, on 59′ (6.6) – 3.7
Keaton Parks, on 59′ (6.4) – 4.2
Alonso MartĂnez, on 72′ (5.7) – 4.2
Kevin O’Toole, on 74′ (6.6) – 3.9
Hannes Wolf, on 74′ (5.9) – 4.1
Mounsef Bakrar, on 90′ (n/a) – 3.7
Spotlight
Jovan Mijatović
New York City’s teen striker from Serbia got an opportunity in Cincinnati and took advantage of it. Mijatović made a rare appearance in the Starting XI, his first since May 31, and it yielded his first goal since coming to America.
The 19-year-old buried a thunderous left-footed strike into the roof of the net after Cincinnati goalkeeper Andrew Walter spilled a rebound from a Christian McFarlane shot. This gave New York City a 2-0 lead and counted as the last positive thing to happen at TQL Stadium before it all went wrong for the away team.
Jovan Mijatović scores his first goal for NYCFC ⚽️
Watch @newyorkcityfc vs @fccincinnati free on Apple TV ➡️ https://t.co/TaB4DmBFsz pic.twitter.com/Vapz48TW0Y
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 6, 2024
Could Mijatović be building some momentum? New York City could use it, as their attack has been anemic of late and is still calling out for a consistent finisher to emerge from the players—Mijatović, Mounsef Bakrar, Alonso MartĂnez—who have rotated through the No 9 position this season.
His performance in Cincinnati wasn’t hugely impressive outside the goal. He didn’t have many touches, his 22 the fewest of any player in either team’s Starting XI. He attempted four shots, most of any player in the match, but his goal stands out as his one clear contribution on the night.
Mijatović drew a shared spotlight in last match’s player ratings as part of the four penalty-kick takers who converted their tries during the shootout vs. QuerĂ©taro. It’s fair to wonder if that make is helping the youngster get over the hump.
When asked about Mijatović and the potential upside of his penalty conversion at Yankee Stadium after the 0-0 draw-turned-shootout-win, Nick Cushing said “I do think Jovan just needs a moment, because I see him on the training pitch, I see how hard he works, how clinical he is. He has come into the team a little bit late in the preseason, he’s worked through the moments to blend into the team, and I just think he needs that moment to click…he’s going to be a real asset for us.”
It was all downhill for New York City after Mijatović scored, and it was slightly concerning that he’s got such a rough-looking shiner above his right eye, which seemed to speed up his withdrawal in the 72nd minute. Mijatović might finally be collecting some moments, and FotMob rated him a 7.6, a fair amount higher than the 6.5 he got from our readers.
Nick Cushing — 2.1
Cushing bore the brunt of the frustration for this capitulation in the Queen City, receiving a rock-bottom 2.1 rating. Leagues Cup so far for Cushing’s New York City has been defined by lineup rotation and limiting players who are either coming back from injuries or who have been deemed in need of a rest after heavy MLS workloads. Removing James Sands from this game in the 60th minute disrupted the midfield, with Keaton Parks and Justin Haak looking out of sync when asked to man the double-pivot. The back line struggled when Tayvon Gray and Christian McFarlane made way for Mitja IleniÄŤ and Kevin O’Toole, and Hannes Wolf looked rusty and not like himself when inserted as a late sub. The way the team fell apart after Pavel Bucha’s goal to pull Cincinnati within 1-2, a goal which Cushing would refer to as a “gift” in his post-match press conference, reflects very poorly on the head coach.
Ismael Rosario López – 5.6
The ref’s rating was higher than 11 of the 17 New York City players to see the field at TQL Stadium. He didn’t have an impact on the result and the arguments and controversies were kept to a minimum. Doing a steady job for 90 minutes was something you the raters had hoped to see from more of the actual NYCFC players, but you at least respected the ability of Ismael Rosario LĂłpez to pull it off.
Player of the Match
Santiago RodrĂguez
The opening goal scored by your Player of the Match was ultimately a great piece of team play that started at Luis Barraza’s feet and hinged on a great bit of control of a long pass from Julián Fernández and some selfless interplay between Julián and Maxi Moralez, who passed on a potential shot of his own to tee Santi up for his tight-angled finish.
The 🔟 doing 🔟 things
Santi RodrĂguez gives NYCFC the lead with a classy touch ⚽️
Watch @fccincinnati vs @newyorkcityfc free on Apple TV ➡️ https://t.co/TaB4DmBFsz pic.twitter.com/Tz23lI6Xps
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 6, 2024
It’s a well-worked goal and the main highlight from what was another creative attacking display from the Uruguayan, but not the only thing he contributed on the night.
Santi was credited with four chances created, tied with Cincinnati’s Luca Orellano for most in the match. He also won the most duels in the match, eight, and completed 40 of his 50 attempted passes, all according to FotMob.
The totality of his performance earned him an 8.7 rating from the aforementioned FotMob, though your grade was much tougher: 6.8 is not usually a rating befitting a Player of the Match, but nobody from NYCFC got a higher rating, or as many PotM votes, so here we are.
Matt Freese has probably been the bigger breakout individual star this season for New York City, but Santi has been right there with him in terms of importance to the team and its success.
The team looked on course for a win for 78 minutes due in large part to what Santi contributed in his first action since the July 20 draw with Orlando City SC right before the start of Leagues Cup. He missed the QuerĂ©taro game due to an illness, and was a welcome returnee in Cincinnati, even if it didn’t mean a better result for his team.
