Sometimes around the 16th minute of Sunday's match with Philadelphia Union, Pascal Jansen, the New York City FC head coach, had his wingers switch sides. Originally, Jansen lined up his squad with Hannes Wolf on the left and Agustín Ojeda on the right, but after the team struggled to piece together a cohesive attacking sequence, he swapped their positions.
At the start of the game, Ojeda faced off against Philadelphia's Nathan Harriel, a veteran defender and natural right back who was playing out of position while the club waits for the arrival of Philippe Ndinga, Kai Wagner's replacement. But after the switch, Ojeda was pitted against Philadelphia's Frankie Westfield, and the 20-year-old defender had trouble keeping up with the pacey winger.
Ojeda was bettering Westfield from the moment he made the move. He delivered New York City's first real chance in the 26th minute, when Keaton Parks slipped a ball past Westfield into the box. Ojeda controlled the ball with a cutback that turned Westfield the wrong way, then fired off a shot before the defender could recover.
Agustín Ojeda's shot hit the post | newyorkcityfc.com and Apple TV
Unfortunately for New York City, Ojeda's attempt caromed off the far post. But Ojeda's move to the left went on to pay dividends. It led to the team's first goal in the 36th minute, when Ojeda slipped a pass into the box to help create a chance that Wolf went on to finish. And it provided the 99th-minute game-winner, when Ojeda's cross was headed into the goal by Tayvon Gray.
No striker? Look to the wingers
It echoed what happened in the previous game, when New York City faced LA Galaxy in Matchday 1. Once again, Jansen started Wolf on the left and Ojeda on the right. And once again, the head coach had them swap sides, making the switch at halftime. In the first half, when Ojeda was on the right, NYCFC had zero big chances and took three shots, per Sofascore. In the second half, with Ojeda on the left, NYCFC had two big chances, took seven shots, and scored what proved to be the game-tying goal.
The sending off of Galaxy defender Carlos Garcés in the 65th minute of that match unquestionably impacted those stats, but the fact remains that all three NYCFC goals this season came after Ojeda moved to the left, and Wolf to the right.
Until New York City add an MLS-ready No 9, and can pose a consistent threat centrally, we should expect most of the team's goal-scoring opportunities to be generated through the wings.
