Everyone loves a late game winner and on too many occasions in the past New York City Football club has been on the receiving end of late game heroics by opposing clubs. It was NYCFC, however, who delivered a win in dramatic fashion on Sunday night in their over DC United and this may be looked back on as a turning point for the club.
Just a few games ago Columbus came to NYC and stunned them in the late moments of a game. Just this last weekend New England pulled out a winner in the waning moments. Sunday night’s game against DC was a match that previous iterations of the NYCFC would lose or settle for a draw. It had all the makings of another let down for fans and the club alike. At the 90 minutes mark I found myself creating a headline for this very article going something like ” NYCFC Eek Out Another Draw at Home, ” or “NYCFC Drop Points at Home Again.”
But those headlines went straight into the trash with one of the most dramatic finishes in club history. New signing, Thiago Andrade, gathered up a out pass from Sean Johnson, sprinted 70 yards past seemingly all of DC United’s team, performed a beautiful backheel cutback to fool Bill Hamid and sent the ball coolly into the back of the net with just seconds left in stoppage time.
This was magic. This was what the fans were hoping for when David Lee signed the young Brazilian back in January. No, It was better than they hoped for. This was also, hopefully, a signal for times ahead. In past games this season Ronny Deila had to look down his bench and create something from nothing when chasing a goal. Sunday he had a plethora of options.
Jun 27, 2021; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; New York City FC forward Talles Magno (43) plays the ball during the second half of a game between D.C. United and NYCFC at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Talles Magno, Keaton Parks, Santiago Rodriguez, and Thiago came on the pitch and made a difference immediately. After the game, Parks, who scored the tying goal off a nice header said, ” Ronny told me to come in and add some energy to the game.” He did his job well. All of the substitutes did as NYCFC repeated asked questions of DC.
With injured striker, Heber, returning soon and already training with the club NYCFC look to have a plethora of dangerous options and various means of attack in future games. Fans are already salivating over the possibility of a three-pronged, all Brazilian starting front line of Heber, Magno, and Thiago with playmakers like Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and Valentin Castellanos coming in and wreaking havoc on tired defenses in the second half of games. The DC game was the first time fans got a chance to really see what the newest member of the club, Rodriguez, could do and he did not fail to impress. This team is now stacked to the point that choosing a starting 11 could keep Deila up at night.
Jun 27, 2021; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; New York City FC midfielder Santiago Rodríguez (42) plays the ball in front of D.C. United defender Tony Alfaro (93) during the second half of a game between D.C. United and NYCFC at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Considered the less heralded of the two new Brazilian signings, not enough can be said about Thiago’s impact so far. He has played in just a couple of games and scored two impressive goals. His 1.82 goal average per 90minutes may not be sustainable but if he can come anywhere close then the club got him for a steal in January. Deila spoke after the game about his newfound super sub.
“It’s unbelievable, the kind of pace he has. It was 70 yards I think, a sprint. Pines who I think was running with him — he’s not slow, so I think he was impressed with the speed of Thiago as well. I thought he was going to shoot on the first, then when went inside I was like ‘what are you doing? Put it in the goal!’ But then he took it on his left and it rolled so slowly into the goal. This is a moment you’re gonna remember, and all the hard work, all this suffering, struggling through our season was playing into that. So I feel brilliant for the team and everybody in the club.“
The wealth of options should make NYCFC a very difficult team to game plan for and should give Deila no excuses for any lack of success. David Lee is looking like a master talent scout at this point and he has another DP signing to go this summer. There is a profound sense of optimism around the club since the international break. Sean Johnson spoke about the new found faith in their recent additions after the match.
“Yeah man, all the emotions. I collected the ball and as soon as I saw Thiago, that guy in space, you’ll take your bets on him any day. I just tried to get him a ball he could run onto and then just lay it on the ground till the ball was in the back of the net. It’s a special moment and definitely a night to remember.”
It is a night to remember indeed and now it remains to be seen if it is a night that marked a turning point for NYCFC. The team has always had goals of winning silverware but with the new signings making such a difference already could this be the year they follow through?
