March 24, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release
New York City suffered a narrow loss to FC Cincinnati on Saturday.
The Boys in Blue fell to a single Lucho Acosta goal.
Here are Five Points from the game…
System Shock
New York City FC have always strived to be tactically versatile while maintaining their core principles. That was certainly true on Saturday as the team deployed a 3-4-3 system.
City started the game strongly and were deservedly level at the break. In the opening period of the contest, City showed an ability to both control the ball and also press Cincinnati when they tried to play out from the back.
The fact the team adjusted to the game so well and were ultimately undone by one moment of quality speaks volumes of the team’s adaptability and bodes well for the rest of the season and the many unique challenges that they will face.
Debutants
Saturday saw two new faces play their first competitive minutes for New York City FC in Strahinja Tanasijević and Malachi Jones.
Tanasijević started the match as part of a back three alongside Birk Risa and Thiago Martins. Nick Cushing was intent on adding depth and versatility to his squad this off-season and in Tanasijević the Club gained both qualities.
The defender was handed a tough task on Saturday and slowly grew into the game alongside his defensive colleagues. He will hope to further enhance his reputation in the coming weeks if given an opportunity by his coach.
His teammate Malachi Jones was substituted in during the second half to add something fresh in attack. The forward was eager and full of running and his courage on the ball will not have gone unnoticed.
Character
New York City FC were undoubtedly put into a challenging position this weekend, missing nine First Team players. The team that was assembled did not shirk the responsibility, however, and their intensity from the first whistle was admirable.
To lose a further two players to injury during the course of the game only made the challenge bigger, but City’s players didn’t let that get them down.
The team battled hard and kept the score tight against a good FC Cincinnati side, with little between the two teams across the 90 minutes. The result may not have been what staff or players wanted in Ohio, but it is another strong reminder of the character within this group and their determination to approach every challenge, big or small, with the same intensity.
“The team is in good spirits,” Julián Fernández said after the…
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