The most important New York City FC win of the season yielded a glowing set of player ratings. Four players were rated above 8.0 and head coach Nick Cushing got one of his best grades this season after guiding his team to a win to force a do-or-die Game 3 against FC Cincinnati.
The 3-1 triumph at Citi Field in Game 2 of the best-of-three Round One series of the MLS Cup Playoffs represented a return to form for a New York City attack made largely irrelevant in Game 1, yet it was the team’s two central defenders and goalkeeper who earned your highest ratings.
That’s not too surprising, given Thiago Martins (8.5) scored his first-ever goal for New York City, a goal that turned out to be the match-winner. Justin Haak (8.3) also put in what might have been a best-of-his-career performance while playing at center-back, and Matt Freese (8.9) made some crucial saves to preserve the NYCFC victory – the defensive spine of the New York City team delivered in Game 2.
Those three aforementioned players led the ratings pack, but the entire Starting XI averaged a solid 7.6 rating, a major improvement from Game 1 when a slightly different XI averaged a collective 5.3 for the 1-0 loss at TQL Stadium.
Read on for the full ratings, a spotlight on a standout part of that revitalized NYCFC attack, and more on your Player of the Match, Thiago Martins, who earned that honor from you the raters for the first time this season.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Alonso Martínez, off 88′ (8.0) – 8.2
Santiago Rodríguez (8.6) – 7.6
Hannes Wolf, off 90′ (7.6) – 6.5
Maxi Moralez, off 71′ (6.4) – 7.2
Keaton Parks (7.8) – 6.9
James Sands (8.2) – 7.6
Mitja Ilenič (7.9) – 7.3
Kevin O’Toole (7.7) – 6.9
Thiago Martins (7.8) – 8.5
Justin Haak (8.3) – 8.3
Matt Freese (7.1) – 8.9
Andrés Perea, on 71′ (6.1) – 6.8
Mounsef Bakrar, on 88′ (n/a) – 6.1
Strahinja Tanasijević, on 90′ (n/a) – 5.9
Player Spotlight
Alonso Martínez
Held quiet in Game 1 like the rest of the New York City front line, Martínez was back to his usual dangerous, involved self in the Game 2 win. You rated him an 8.2, the highest rating given to any of NYCFC’s attackers, while FotMob had Martínez as an even 8.0.
The NYCFC striker’s opening goal was the culmination of a patient team move, a build-up that lasted 16 passes and was finished off, ahem, clinically by the man we so enjoy calling El Clínico for his exploits in front of goal.
I love this #NYCFC goal so much. A 16-pass sequence, initially slowly knocking the ball around the back, and then in an instant the entire team picks up the tempo and goes direct.
Champagne football, beautiful goal 🍾pic.twitter.com/4FMJ9vRRIc
— Ben Wright (@benwright) November 4, 2024
Martínez’s finish was precise and perfectly placed, but what stands out upon rewatch is how composed he was in the lead-up to the goal.
NYCFC picked up their tempo and pushed forward up the right side of their attack through Hannes Wolf and Mitja Ilenič, but Martínez stayed central and became the lynchpin that made this goal happen.
He finds himself in a pocket of space to receive a pass outside the Cincinnati 18-yard-box, but he wastes zero time and takes no extra touches when the ball gets to him.
His one-time pass into the box seemed intended at first for Maxi Moralez but was put in the right spot to eventually reach Mitja Ilenič – who then picks Martínez back out, still unmarked in the Cincinnati box and ready to pick out a corner of Roman Celentano’s goal.
Nick Cushing praised Martínez’s work in possession and in the team’s build-up while discussing his striker after the game, and the goal stands out as a great example of that. Martínez could have had a brace, picked out by James Sands with a lofted pass over the top of defender Miles Robinson in the 77th minute that had him 1-v-1 with keeper Celentano, but Martínez was unable to convert what was a high degree of difficulty chance.
He still took four shots, was accurate with his passing (completing 11 of 14 attempted passes), and got the early opening goal that was pivotal to his team’s success. Martínez was in best-striker-in-MLS form at the end of the regular season and if NYCFC is going to continue this playoff run, they’ll need him to come close to replicating his Game 2 performance in the must-win Game 3.
Andrew Leigh
Nick Cushing – 7.3
Not his highest rating this season—that remains the 8.4 rating given out following the win over the Red Bulls at Citi Field in May. This is still a high number for Nick Cushing and likely signals appreciation for his decisions to trust Justin Haak at center-back and to lean once again on Maxi Moralez as his starting No 10 in a must-win game. Maxi didn’t make the difference, but the attack looked infinitely better with him in the middle than it did when he was out of the Starting XI (due to a lingering injury issue) in Game 1. Haak was steadfast and a great partner for Thiago Martins, continuing to show he can succeed when playing as part of a back-four. Cushing has been trusting the players that got NYCFC here, as he only made three substitutions during this win and they came relatively late in the proceedings. That might be harsh on the team’s younger players who find themselves increasingly glued to the bench, but NYCFC had to get a win at Citi Field, and Cushing got it right when it came to setting his team up to do just that.
Ismir Pekmic – 5.7
Credit to Pekmic for actually awarding what was a clear penalty to New York City in second-half stoppage time. It was a no-doubter that Santi Rodríguez was fouled while trying to maintain possession, kill some clock, and see out the win, but it came while Cincinnati had all of the momentum as they searched for an equalizer to send things to a penalty-kick shootout. Instead of swallowing the whistle, Pekmic made the correct call. Throughout the match he was never the center of attention, with only an early incident that had NYCFC players appealing for a handball violation in the box (which was not given, nor sent to a pitchside video review) standing out as anything close to controversial. We can only hope for a performance like this from whoever is assigned to handle the decisive Game 3 in Cincinnati.
Player of the Match
Thiago Martins
It took him until his 104th career appearance with New York City FC to score his first (non-penalty shootout) goal, but Thiago Martins managed to pick a perfect time to finally find the back of the opposing net.
Thiago Martins has been a lot of things during his tenure in MLS, an extremely accurate passer, a deceptively speedy defender capable of snuffing out counterattacks, and a steady presence at the back during 100-plus appearances – but he has not been the goal threat of players that played his position for NYCFC before him. What better time to channel his inner Alexander Callens than in a must-win with his team facing elimination?
OUR CAPTAIN SCORES HIS FIRST CLUB GOAL 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/xBEsuov5Wc
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) November 2, 2024
As big as the goal was, Thiago Martins’s work partnered with Justin Haak in defense was immense.
Yes, Luca Orellano scored a rocket of a goal from distance, meaning there was once again no clean sheet kept by Thiago Martins and his fellow defenders. The 29-year-old Brazilian Designated Player still did his part to ensure NYCFC held their late lead, credited by FotMob with eight clearances and two interceptions while he completed 88% of his passes.
Thiago Martins has flown under the radar somewhat, except for times when he’s made costly mistakes or been deemed culpable for some of the team’s costlier goals conceded. There was none of that in the win over Cincinnati, and the hope will now be that he and Justin Haak can repeat their performance neutralizing the likes of Lucho Acosta and Yuya Kubo in the series’s final match.
He only beat goalkeeper Matt Freese for this Player of the Match honor by a few votes, and Freese earned the highest individual rating (8.9) of any NYCFC player, but Thiago Martins put his stamp on this game and was central to making sure this playoff series goes the distance.
all the joy aside, kinda surprised to see the relatively low grading for KOT. his stat aka FotMob might look OK, but he really outplayed/neutralized his counter Yedlin throughout the game with some promising moves. would have loved to have given 12 if allowed, to: Freese, Martins, Haak & KOT, personally. 🙂 whichever it goes to the Game 3, finishing the potential last home game with a big W is always a good thing. (even if we advance, it’ll all be away games ‘til the end, correct?)red bullies took the Crew out. with us eliminating Cinci, the remainders are relatively easy ones for TBIB. guess we are entitled, for now, to get excited!
If we advance to the next round, nope it’s not an away match. It would be a single elimination home match against our arch rivals. Can’t think about that now though, it’s all about stealing that decisive game 3 in Cincinnati…
oh shoot. it’s the red bullies if we take Cinci out on the way, and at HOME!!!! . LFG all the way!