It has become popular for visiting teams to come to Yankee Stadium and make fun of the diminutive size of the MLS Championship banner hanging in the stands. New York City Football Club has made a habit lately of sending those teams and fans home with a loss. Saturday was no exception for the Columbus Crew. Twitter was full of posts “looking for the banner” or telling NYCFC to “bring your zip ties.” In the end it was New York City Football Club who were laughing and Caleb Porter’s men sent packing with a two to zero score line with their fans scratching their heads.
The last team to make snide remarks before their match in the Bronx was Real Salt Lake and, while the Crew did not suffer the 6-0 loss inflicted on RSL, they did find themselves behind early. Talles Magno made a nice move to free himself in the box in the ninth minute after a pass from Santiago Rodriguez. The young Brazilian sent the ball back across the goal and into the back of the net. The goal set the tone for the rest of the night as Columbus would threaten but never get a single shot on target for the entire game.
May 14, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC forward Talles Magno (43) celebrates his goal with midfielder Valenten Castellanos (11) during the first half in front of Columbus Crew defender Steven Moreira (31) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
In the last five games at home, NYCFC have put up an impressive stand going 4-0-1 and scoring 16 goals while only conceding four. The team has had four clean sheets. In fact, all four of the goals against were in a single game against Toronto. If you factor in the US Open Cup game this last week, then NYCFC have an even more impressive six-game unbeaten streak on their hands.
Ronny Deila summed it up after the game. “I think we’ve been consistent. I think we’ve gone six or seven games now without losing and we’ve talked about putting together a streak with good results. Our lowest level has to be so high that we get something from every game and I think we do that now. I think we attack at the right rhythm. The age of the group also, we are starting to build relations inside the pitch. I’m very pleased we could take away a lot of points here at home. That’s important if we are going to finish as high as possible in the league. Hopefully winning and then getting to the playoffs.”
Currently, NYCFC sit sixth in the Easter Conference with seventeen points, only three points off the top spot, but they have either one or two games in hand against every team above them. It is a better string of form than what they were doing last year and we all know how that turned out.
Perhaps the most interesting turn of events on Saturday night was when Maxi Moralez lined up at a number six role in the starting lineup. Deila has been struggling to find a balance of playing his best eleven players and still keeping that offensive dagger that developed when Moralez got hurt. The challenge is how to keep Santiago Rodriguez in the creative number ten role and also get Moralez in the midfield as well. Both of them create so many problems for opposing teams but in different ways.
Rodriguez drives and dishes like he did in the opening goal against Columbus but Moralez is a superb passer and can spring a streaking for team mate for an open look at goal with a single pass. He gave a prime example of that on Saturday with the second goal of the night sending a perfectly weighted ball and exposing The Crew’s backline, giving Taty Castellanos a one on one opportunity with Eloy Room. Last year’s Golden Boot winner deftly sent the ball over Room and into the back of the net. If Moralez and Rodriguez can play in the central midfield together then opposing teams may well have even more problems.
May 14, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Valentin Castellanos (11) scores a goal against Columbus Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room (1) during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Deila had nothing but praise for the diminutive Argentine after the match. “I didn’t see anything bad at all. I think he’s the smartest football player on the pitch, he can play any position except for maybe goalkeeper. He organized the team, he can run and on the ball he is really good. That’s one positive of playing him in that role. When he plays in the No. 10 he comes down to get on the ball, so he is often in the position. We need one more player upfront to create more and now when he is down there we have something in the No. 10 or even two eights. There is more power forward, but the big thing is if he can do the defensive work and be smart in his positioning. I think he did that really well today.”
NYCFC have so much talent in their starting eleven and off the bench that they are capable of anything this year. Magno, Thiago Andrade, Gabriel Pereira and Heber are four dynamic Brazilian attackers, each with their own skill set and threat. Castellanos has proven what he is capable of time and time again. Rodriguez and Moralez are both capable of unlocking defenses and wreaking havoc. Keaton Parks is playing at such a level that some are calling for him to be included in a USMNT camp this summer. All this is coupled with a defense that, while injury riddled, still does not give up a lot of goals. Maybe Columbus and RSL can give some advice to DC United fans that are coming to NYC on Wednesday. Maybe they should save the trash talking about the size of NYCFC’s MLS Championship banner for after the game.
