New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: These are your NYCFC player ratings from the comfortable 2-0 win over CF Montréal at Citi Field.
Home has been kind to New York City FC this season, and home wins like the in-control performance that beat CF Montréal 2-0 result in a generous set of scores in your player ratings.
The result didn’t feel much in doubt once Alonso Martínez opened the scoring after 10 minutes. Montréal had few clear chances, credited with 0.9 expected goals (xG) and four shots on target. Their clearest and best opportunity to score was saved expertly by All-Star snub Matt Freese in the 19th minute, and after that, NYCFC was mostly in control.
Chances were easy to create for New York City, they produced 2.6 xG and had seven shots on target, though only their most clinical finisher and new clear-cut best striker option put them away.
Alonso Martínez starred and unsurprisingly was named Player of the Match, but the team was solid across the board, reflected in these ratings, with nine members of the Starting XI scoring at or above 7.0.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Alonso Martínez, off 87′ (9.0) – 8.8
Santiago Rodríguez (7.7) – 7.2
Hannes Wolf, off 72′ (8.6) – 8.2
Maxi Moralez, off 22′ (6.5) – 5.5
Keaton Parks, off 72′ (7.9) – 7.2
James Sands (8.3) – 7.1
Tayvon Gray (7.7) – 7.6
Kevin O’Toole (7.1) – 7.0
Thiago Martins (7.2) – 7.8
Birk Risa, off 46′ (6.7) – 6.8
Matt Freese (7.5) – 8.0
Agustín Ojeda, on 22′ (7.7) — 5.9
Strahinja Tanasijević, on 46′ (6.1) — 6.9
Andrés Perea, on 72′ (6.5) — 6.4
Julián Fernández, on 72′ (6.5) — 6.1
Mounsef Bakrar, on 87′ (n/a) — 5.9
Player Spotlight
James Sands
He’s flown under the radar, but James Sands has been in top form during this brief two-match winning streak.
Against Montréal, Sands dominated the midfield. His destroyer work was on point, with Sands credited with four tackles, four interceptions, four clearances, and 12 ball recoveries.
Sands has been a defensive force all season long for New York City, quietly leading all MLS players with 43 tackles won, also known as tackles that resulted in his team regaining possession. His 58 total tackles have Sands ranked third in the league, markers of a strong season for a player who sits in front of the NYCFC defense and rarely gets involved in the attacking third.
Yet during this brief six-point homestand, Sands became a sneaky offensive force. He picked up the third assist of his career in the win over Orlando City SC, then followed that up with a “secondary assist” against Montréal: Sands played the pass before the perfectly weighted assist Hannes Wolf provided for Alonso Martínez’s second goal.
Even before his slight role in the second goal, The Guy from Rye was out there running the fast break like a member of the New York Knicks. In the 48th minute, Sands sprung NYCFC on a press-breaking counterattack from deep in his defensive end, though it ultimately fizzled out when an Agustín Ojeda shot from the top of the 18-yard box was blocked.
He’s been as solid as can be at the spine of the New York City setup, and now Sands is back to picking out key forward passes. His performance earned him a rating of 8.3 from FotMob, and a significantly lower 7.1 from you the readers.
Sands has been a big part of why NYCFC have climbed to fourth place in the Eastern Conference this season, even if his strong performances don’t stand out as easily as the team’s goalscorers. He was a big reason why Montréal never got into the game and never really threatened the NYCFC back-line too severely.
Nick Cushing — 7.8
A second straight match that’s required a sub after a little over 20 minutes, but a second straight win. NYCFC lost two players to injury after the first 45 minutes, but Cushing (and the New York City sporting staff) has gotten his depth so right this season, the team hardly skipped a beat. Agustín Ojeda was involved in multiple great scoring chances after replacing an injured Maxi Moralez, and Strahinja Tanasijević slid in and helped keep the team’s clean sheet after Birk Risa rolled his ankle. His Starting XI is never exactly the same but the rotations have mostly worked so far this season, and the decision to play El Clínico Martínez as a striker continues to be arguably the best one Cushing has made so far as a head coach.
Marcos de Oliveira — 7.2
Not many cards handed out, not an irregular flow to the match due to incessant whistle-blowing, and no controversial decisions made against NYCFC, so de Oliveira unsurprisingly gets a positive score. He wasn’t the one who incorrectly raised the flag for offside on Martínez’s opening goal, but you could maybe ding de Oliveira for taking so long at the VAR monitor while deliberating over giving that first goal. The call got made correctly and the ref’s performance from there was not much of a focus, so that equals a decent rating number from you the readers.
Player of the Match
Alonso Martínez
It was never going to be anyone else, was it? Martínez was getting behind the Montréal defense with ease and could have easily gone for a hat trick (even El Clínico can’t make them all, as that miss right before halftime proves).
His 8.8 rating was the highest of any player and right on par with the 9.0 he received from FotMob, though his partner in goal-creation, Hannes Wolf (rated at 8.2, second-highest on the team), also got his fair share of Player of the Match votes from you, finishing a close second.
The Wolf and Martínez link-up was a sight to see, particularly on that second goal, when Hannes showed great technical skill to control a pass and create space for himself to play that beautiful over-the-top ball that Martínez buried on the volley.
Nick Cushing has been clear that he’s looking for a striker to “put up numbers,” and Martínez is certainly doing that, eye-popping ones given his limited minutes. Now he and NYCFC will hope this level of attacking excellence can be reached on the road, the only place New York City will be playing until MLS pauses for Leagues Cup.
Andrew Leigh
