New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after a rainy 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union at Citi Field.
The field was damp on Saturday night, but the feels were bright after New York City defeated Philadelphia at home for the first time since 2019. So what if the Union were without Dániel Gazdag after his shock transfer to Columbus Crew, and started 19-year-old Andrew Rick in goal? You can only play the team that takes the field, and New York City’s Starting XI deserved the win.
Your player ratings reflect the solid result, with Alonso MartĂnez (8.1) and Matt Freese (8.1) leading the squad. Three players were in the 7s, and another three in the high 6s. The lowest rating for a starter belongs to Thiago Martins, who was handed a not-so-bad 6.2 for his efforts — it’s a complete turnaround from the dismal ratings dispensed after the last matchday, when Keaton Parks topped the team with a 5.6.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Andrew Leigh
Alonso MartĂnez (8.3) – 8.1
Hannes Wolf, off 86′ (7.0) – 6.8
AgustĂn Ojeda, off 86′ (7.3) – 6.9
Maxi Moralez (6.6) – 6.4
Keaton Parks (7.5) – 6.8
Jonny Shore (7.5) – 7.6
Mitja Ilenič (8.0) – 7.5
Kevin O’Toole (7.4) – 6.4
Thiago Martins (6.9) – 6.2
Justin Haak (7.2) – 7.2
Matt Freese (8.4) – 8.1
Julián Fernández, on 75′ (6.1) – 5.9
Mounsef Bakrar, on 86′ (NR) – 5.4
Birk Risa, on 86′ (NR) – 5.9
Player Spotlight
Justin Haak
A number of players put up strong performances in this win that are worth examining. Mitja IleniÄŤ and his offensive contributions, Jonny Shore and his remarkable composure, and Matt Freese and his first clean-sheet win of the season all deserve to be called out.
But this week the Player Spotlight is going to shine on Justin Haak, the team’s Swiss Army knife, who once again was asked to play out of position as the left-sided center-back — and who once again was the best defender on the field.
Haak’s numbers were impressive: His 14 defensive actions, 11 clearances, 6 duels won, 3 recoveries, and 1 foul committed was the most complete performance of the game’s four central defenders.
But they only tell part of the story. Just as important was the sliding block he made in the 18th minute to deny Philadelphia’s Quinn Sullivan, who lashed a shot from inside the top of the box after being teed up by a poor giveaway from Thiago Martins. Goals Prevented is a stat reserved for goalkeepers, but v deserves to go into the log with a 1.0 for that play.
More than that, Haak is the kind of player other teams don’t like. He’s physical in defense, and goes in for that extra moment of contact that wears down midfielders and forwards: He stands his ground. And he’s a key part of the attack in set pieces, when he harasses the opposition through his positioning, grappling with the defenders to free up New York City’s players.
In many ways, Haak is filling the gap left behind by the departures of Alexander Callens and Maxime Chanot, tough and intelligent defenders that the rest of the league hated to face. We’re here for it.
Matthew Mangam
Pascal Jansen – 6.9
The head coach made a few key decisions that set up New York City to win: He slotted Jonny Shore as defensive midfielder, played Haak in central defense over Birk Risa and Strahinja Tanasijević, and gave AgustĂn Ojeda the start on the left wing. The team looked composed and confident, and could have finished the game 2-0 or even 3-0.
The fact that the final scoreline was 1-0, and not 1-1 after giving up a flukey goal – or 1-2 after a late-game collapse – is one of the defining features of these early days in the Pascal Jansen Era. JansenBall might be less about a particular style of play than mental toughness.
Audio Gonzales Jr. – 6.6
No complaints.
Player of the Match
Alonso MartĂnez
El ClĂnico is your Player of the Match this week after carrying more than 46% of the votes, beating out Freese, IleniÄŤ, Haak, and Shore. This is the third time this season that MartĂnez earned the honor.
It’s easy to see why. The goal that MartĂnez scored is so characteristic of the striker: Calm, collected, clinical. It’s a beautifully-worked goal that likely won’t make the highlight reels because it’s so composed and seemingly straightforward.
But it’s not. After MartĂnez receives the ball and moves around a sliding Rick who comes way off his line, he makes the extraordinary decision to shoot from outside of the box and at an awkward angle. He could take another touch and try to beat Nathan Harriel, but instead, his second touch is his shot.
And it’s not particularly forceful. He puts just enough on the ball so that it beats Nathan Harriel, but it’s soft enough to remain on target. The ball slows as rolls over the grass, crossing the plane of the goal almost in the exact center between the two posts. You can almost read the logo on the ball when it hits the back of the net — it looks less like a game-winning goal than a half-lazy kick at the end of training.
It exactly the right shot for that moment.
The truth is, MartĂnez makes the exceptional look ordinary. Here’s the goal from the Apple TV feed:
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Courtesy MLS
And here it is from the sidelines:
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Courtesy newyorkcityfc.com
MartĂnez doesn’t do drama — even his celly isn’t much more than a low-key smile followed by a group hug. But with that goal MartĂnez is now in a seven-way tie for third place in the Golden Boot race, even with some of the biggest stars in the league: Christian Benteke, Hugo Cuypers, Dejan Joveljić, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Tani Oluwaseyi, and Diego Rossi.
Not bad for a somebody who was playing as a winger in Belgium’s First Division B two years ago.
