A brilliant defensive effort led NYCFC to the win over the New England Revolution | OneFootball

On Saturday, New York City FC welcomed the New England Revolution to Yankee Stadium for another tenth anniversary celebration.  This time, the Pigeons celebrated the anniversary of their first-ever home game in Major League Soccer.  In that match, they beat New England 2-0.  Hence, they wanted to mark the day with a win.

Entering the game, NYCFC was the better side on paper.  But as everyone knows, anything can happen.  While they did win both MLS meetings last season, the score lines were close, for they won 2-0 and 1-0.  Two of the three goal-scorers from those fixtures both started on Saturday night: Julián Fernández and Keaton Parks.

Meanwhile, Kevin O’Toole missed the game due to his red card from last week’s win over Orlando City SC.  As a result, Nico Cavallo earned his first MLS start.  He was fantastic in the preseason, but would he play well and have a strong introduction into the league like Jonathan Shore did in the Orlando fixture?

Cavallo, who sadly came off due to an injury, played well in his brief stint.  It was the defensive work from everyone that saw NYCFC secure another 2-1 win.

NYCFC beats New England 2-1

New England maintained too much possession to start the match.  NYCFC had periods of attacking play, and for a little while, the teams were not threatening toward one another.

However, about halfway through the first half, the Revolution became a constant threat, and it felt like a goal was coming.  Everyone knew it was a dangerous period for the Pigeons.  And sadly, the visitors went ahead in the 26th minute.  But they did not score, though.

Instead, the NYCFC captain, Thiago Martins, attempted a clearance that should have led to a corner kick.  The Brazilian was unsuccessful and slashed the ball into the back of the net.  The own goal was the first goal of the season for the Revolution, subsequently putting the Pigeons in a tough spot.

To make matters worse, as mentioned, Cavallo had to come out a few minutes later due to a possible leg injury.  This forced Birk Risa to come on and play as the left-back.

Thankfully, despite difficult moments and New England’s dominance in possession, the Bronx team still worked diligently in the final third.  So, in the 38th minute, the Pigeons found themselves in the middle of a counterattack, and Hannes Wolf found Fernández in front of him.  The Argentine subsequently moved into the right side of the box with speed and ease and struck the ball into the bottom left corner, leveling the game.

NYCFC began to play a little better as the match continued.  New England still dominated the possession, and sometimes it felt like they would not leave the Boys in Blue's side of the pitch.

The away team was also more threatening with the attacking sequences.  The NYCFC backline had to work overtime to limit their shots via clearances, blocks, and simply close down on players.  The defensive work kept the Pigeons in the game, and that is why they went ahead in the 68th minute.

Parks had the ball in the middle of the box, and took his time to take a shot.  New England’s goalkeeper, Aljaž Ivačič, made an incredible save.  Yet, Alonso Martinez was in the perfect spot on the left side of the goal with room to shoot.  With a winding kick, the Costa Rican scored his third goal of the season and the winner.

Nevertheless, the Revolution continued to make life difficult for the Pigeons.  The defense continued to put in the work.  In complete honesty, the home side was very lucky that everyone worked together to limit the away team’s offensive chances.  It is slightly shocking that they did not have more shots during the match.

Additionally, NYCFC might have scored every single goal, but there is no question they walked away with three points because of the defense.  Yes, Martins scored the own goal, but every single player, including the attackers, contributed to keeping New England out of the back of the net for the rest of the night.

After the anniversary celebrations, NYCFC now has a tough road trip ahead of them to finish the month of March.  The Boys in Blue will play games against the Columbus Crew and Atlanta United FC away from home.  These are two difficult places to play, so the Pigeons will continue their tough start to the season.