New York City FC once again looked like giant-killers as they won on the road to hand Chicago Fire just their second loss in eight games. Chicago took an early lead, but New York City fought back (more on that below), then weathered near-relentless pressure from the hosts for the final 30 minutes to preserve the win.
It was a night of feel-good firsts: Nico Fernández and Seymour Reid scored their first goals for the club, while Kevin O'Toole logged his first assist of the season. It was also a night of milestones. Alonso Martínez became the second NYCFC player to score 15 or more goals in consecutive seasons since David Villa did it in 2017 and 2018, and Justin Haak made his 100th appearance for the club.
All that aside, it was another convincing team win under head coach Pascal Jansen. Here are four thoughts about the game, and the team's bulletproof mentality.
Hudson River Blue Staff
1. Seymour Reid: Youngest goal-scorer in NYCFC history
We've had a few looks at this season at Seymour Reid, the 17-year-old striker who started the year with NYCFC II. Tonight, he made his seventh Major League Soccer appearance, all off the bench, and became the youngest goal-scorer in club history when he found the back of the net in the third minute of stoppage time to ice the win.
Who did Reid beat out to take the record? Why, 18-year-old Jonny Shore, who scored in the 4-3 road win over FC Dallas on July 25 in Matchday 24.
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Megha Gupta
2. Nico opens his NYCFC account
Nico Fernández officially joined New York City on July 11, then made his debut two weeks later on July 25 in that same 4-3 win over Dallas that saw Shore score his first goal. Nico provided an assist in that game, but hasn't had a goal involvement since — until tonight.
The Designated Player started the night on the left, but shortly after switching sides with Hannes Wolf, he found himself open at the back post in the perfect position to finish a cross from O'Toole. It was a team goal, with Nico participating in the buildup: He received the ball from Gray, sent it to Martínez, who pushed it on to Maxi Moralez, who found Hannes Wolf, who laid it off to O'Toole. It was a gorgeous sequence that left Chicago simply watching the ball.
Nico Fernández scores his first goal for New York City FC | Courtesy newyorkcityfc.com
For those who have been itching for Nico to do more of what you expect of a DP, remember that his first MLS appearance was just five matches ago — he now has two goal involvements in 379 minutes, a respectable start to his time at New York City.
Hudson River Blue Staff
5. Another game won in the second half — by Alonso
For the fifth consecutive time, NYCFC won the game in the second half thanks to a Martínez goal.
Four of those wins came on the road. First, there was the 2-1 win over Orlando City on July 16 in Matchday 22, when Martínez scored in the 91st minute. Then there was the sloppy 4-3 win over FC Dallas on July 25 in Matchday 24, when Martínez scored his third goal of the night in the 84th minute. That was followed by the 2-1 comeback win over Nashville SC on August 17 in Matchday 25, when Martínez scored in the 77th minute. And then there was the professional 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati on August 23 in Matchday 26, when Martínez scored the only goal of the night in the 55th minute.
That brings us tonight, when Martínez lashed in a quick shot in the 57th minute that double-nutmegged a pair of Chicago defenders to find the back of the net. One microsecond of hesitation, and it likely wouldn't have gone in.
Alonso Martínez jumps on a loose ball after a NYCFC corner kick | Courtesy newyorkcityfc.com
Martínez is a joy to watch play. The unassuming striker isn't particularly big or physical, and he doesn't have the neck tattoos or overly-worked hairstyles of other high-profile forwards. Instead, Martínez puts down his head and does the work. He makes runs, finds space, and takes his chances.
There's an inevitability to how he plays: The opposition knows what he's going to do, but they're powerless to stop it.
4. Hannes is better on the left
The momentum of the game changed about 20 minutes into the first half, when Wolf and Nico switched sides. Almost instantly, the NYCFC attack looked looser and more creative with the 26-year-old Austrian running along the left flank. It's no accident that Nico's opening goal took place after the switch.
That presents a problem for Jansen, as both Nico and Wolf seem to prefer to play on the left. Right now, Wolf looked to be the better choice. It's not just because he functions well on the left, it's because he looks fairly lost on the right, where he's disconnected from the attack.
Just look at the toothless loss to DC United on Matchday 27, when Nico was on the left and Wolf was on the right. Ideally, you want your DP to play in his best position. But for now, Nico is better utilized on the right because it allows the team to get more out of Wolf.
