It may not be three points, but it was certainly a momentum-shifter for New York City FC.
In front of the second-largest crowd in NYCFC history, the Boys in Blue played a well-earned 1-1 draw with Eastern Conference pace-setters Inter Miami. Despite controlling the tempo for nearly the entire game, NYCFC still needed a last-gasp equalizer to come away with a point. (Not that anyone is complaining.)
NYCFC’s late hero and dynamo in midfield, James Sands, is your Player of the Match, and rightfully so. It isn’t easy pocketing Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all time, AND scoring your first goal for the club all in one game. But that’s just what Sands did.
Head Coach Nick Cushing (6.2) and referee Jon Freemon (5.9) received relatively strong ratings, with both managing the game in their respective disciplines rather well, given the occasion.
Apart from a few notable exceptions, there wasn’t much difference between your ratings and those of FotMob. Isn’t it better when we all get along?
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Alonso Martínez, off 81′ (6.7) – 6.8
Santiago Rodríguez (8.4) – 7.8
Hannes Wolf, off 81′ (7.3) – 6.4
Maxi Moralez (7.7) – 7.3
Keaton Parks off 81′ (7.3) – 6.6
James Sands (8.0) – 9.1
Tayvon Gray, off 81′ (6.8) – 7.2
Kevin O’Toole off 88′ (7.2) – 7.0
Thiago Martins (7.0) – 8.2
Strahinja Tanasijević (6.8) – 7.2
Matt Freese (6.3) – 7.8
Andrés Perea, on 81′ (5.9) – 6.0
Mitja Ilenič, on 81′ (N/A) – 6.2
Mounsef Bakrar, on 81′ (N/A) – 5.5
Julián Fernández, on 81′ (N/A) – 5.9
Christian McFarlane, on 88′ (N/A) – 6.1
Player Spotlight
Santiago Rodríguez
In a match where New York City FC scores just one goal, you would be forgiven for thinking it was Alonso Martinez or Santi Rodríguez getting on the score sheet. While that wasn’t the case on Saturday (getting to that later), the Uruguayan still put on a strong showing against one of the most difficult opponents Major League Soccer has to offer.
With Maxi Moralez thrust back into head coach Nick Cushing’s Starting XI, Rodríguez found himself operating on the left wing opposite Hannes Wolf, and the Uruguayan had no issues challenging the Miami backline. As the Boys in Blue began controlling the tempo early, chances started falling for Rodriguez. An early strike on the volley sailed just wide of Drake Callendar’s far post, before a whipped strike from a freekick forced a save out of the Inter Miami keeper, parrying the effort off the post.
As the game progressed, Rodríguez’s role shifted from a finisher to a creator, with the Uruguayan sparking waves of attacks with his dribbling and passing prowess. Completing 71% of his dribbles, the Uruguayan also managed nine passes into the final third, while creating two chances.
But, Rodríguez’s most notable contribution, cementing his 8.4 rating and POTM award on FotMob, was his stoppage time corner kick delivery to assist the Sandsman’s equalizer. It was an absolute peach of a corner, looping into where only Sands could reach to power it home past Callendar. It was another marquee moment from New York City FC’s most consistent force going forward, coming at a time when Cushing & Co. needed it most.
JAMES WITH HIS FIRST @MLS GOAL 🤩 pic.twitter.com/eqrMUBrgtb
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) September 21, 2024
Nick Cushing – 6.2
Though the winless streak has extended to nine games, there isn’t much one could say to send warranted discontent toward the NYCFC Head Coach. Cushing put out the strongest Starting XI at his disposal, managed the match and his players well, and left with an all-important point against a star-studded Miami side. Considering Messi, Luis Suarez, and Jordi Alba played all 90 minutes, AND NYCFC got thumped at home just four days prior, this was a good response from Cushing & Co.
Jon Freemon – 5.9
An occasion of this magnitude can get to any official, no matter how experienced. With a packed stadium, two sides competing for MLS Cup Playoff spots, and adding Messi in the mix, you’ve got yourself a seriously high-pressure match for any official to manage.
All things considered, Freemon did reasonably well. While Cushing expressed discontent towards the early freekick awarded to Messi and Inter Miami in the first half, there wasn’t much else to harp on from a NYCFC perspective. Inter Miami fans may feel hard done, considering the five yellow cards issued to the visitors, but Freemon did well controlling the flow of the match and didn’t let tempers fly too out of hand. One of the more neutral referred performances seen in the Bronx in a long time.
Player of the Match
James Sands
It just had to be him.
Being tasked with man-marking one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen is no easy undertaking, but to do so well to the point where he’s the lowest-ranked player on the pitch is nearly astonishing. Yet, that’s exactly what happened Saturday afternoon.
A 5.8 match rating for Lionel Messi, according to @FotMob.
5.8! The LOWEST in the Inter Miami squad today, and Messi’s lowest of the season. @HudsonRiverBlue
— Mark Radigan (@mark_radigan) September 21, 2024
Watching and following Messi’s every move (much like his security guard on the sidelines), Sands effectively marked Messi out of the game. Outside of the Argentine’s through ball to set up Jordi Alba ahead of Inter Miami’s opener, Messi simply couldn’t get anything going in attack or midfield.
Every time the Argentine attempted to cut inside and shoot with his left, Sands and a member of the NYCFC backline were there to stop him. The same can be said for him in midfield, with Messi getting little to no room to receive, let alone turn with the ball before Sands or Parks pounced on him. It was a truly dominant performance in midfield, whether Sands wants to admit it or not.
“I don’t think I marked #Messi out of the game.”
James Sands comments on his impressive performance in midfield during the 1-1 draw vs @InterMiamiCF on Saturday.
It’s worth noting, Messi finished with 5.8 match rating according to FotMob, the lowest of any outfield player who… pic.twitter.com/exBXyzA9yt
— Mark Radigan (@mark_radigan) September 22, 2024
To go along with his exceptional performance in midfield, Sands is now the proud owner of what may very well become one of the biggest moments of New York City FC’s season. Down a goal, with second-half stoppage time seconds from eclipsing 95 minutes, the American rose highest and thundered home a header to rescue a point for the Boys in Blue.
“The team is a lot different from the team in 2021. But we had a moment during that season… and it kinda propelled us on, and we’re hoping this could be a similar thing.”
James Sands on how his last-gasp equalizer and an impressive 1-1 draw vs @InterMiamiCF could reshape the… pic.twitter.com/fZrvbvuBeB
— Mark Radigan (@mark_radigan) September 21, 2024
Incredibly, that was Sands’s first-ever goal for New York City FC, as well as his first-ever MLS goal. You couldn’t script a more perfect setting to get it, with many comparing it to Gudmundur Thórarinsson’s freekick golazo to salvage a 1-1 draw vs Atlanta United in October 2021. And we all know how that season finished up.
New York City’s last-minute hero is your deserving POTM.
so glad our homeboy made a huge ‘impact’ and memorable moment for everyone. did y’all have a tear just like your kid scored the 1st goal in the varsity league long after he’s been playing in the kids league like forever?don’t get me wrong. Jimmy has been in the center of somewhat shaky squad’s like final resort. having learnt some skills and moves (more of looks) from the great Pirlo, this guy has been solid. any glitches? i can relate it to more on the team performance than his individual faults. he, i can relate to a lot like the mountain Tony Adams in the Arsenal’s hay days. all he needed was ‘visible’ contribution to the offense, more practically ‘scoring’ either by himself or ‘direct’ connections to contribute to it. he’s been clicking with his youth team buddies in the likes of Gray and Haaks—you can tell they don’t have to speak/see to find each other on the pitch. the only thing we were missing was his more ‘confident’ contribution of either taking a shot himself or direct assist to the front line. he DID it and PROVED it on top of having completely mastered locking up the GOAT on the pitch throughout the game. i knew this was coming. if y’all remember we’ve been witnessing him taking some midrange shots himself in the recent games—yet looked a bit shy of making decisions. hope this is a ‘breaking the shell’ moment for our homeboy Jimmy. you can’t become a star player by just solid records of D in the story of football. his starting to stack some rare capability of scoring at the clinch moment, can be a good sign. so glad. well done Jimmy. i literally was tearing of joy on sunday.
Good stuff. I’m a little confused by FotMob’s 6.3 rating for Freese, felt like a stronger performance from him. I’ll have to get smarter on how those ratings are calculated. But overall, what a day it was in the Bronx!
Not 100% sure as how to decide the algorithm but Freese officially had just one save and one goal allowed on two shots on target/0.80 xGOT. It shows how numbers don’t always reflect performances.