Five Points: Capital Gains – OurSports Central

September 16, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release

New York City Football Club returned to MLS action with a 1-1 draw at D.C. United.

Two penalties saw the points shared at Audi Field, as Santiago Rodríguez’s first-half spot-kick was canceled out by Christian Benteke’s effort.

Here are Five Points from an eventful and entertaining encounter…

All Square

It was a game packed with incident and controversy: penalty awards, VAR calls, and goals ruled out at both ends – and all in all, a draw was probably a fair result.

New York dominated the first half, laying immediate siege to D.C.’s goal and carving open the hosts’ defense with some delightful, free-flowing football.

After taking the lead from the penalty spot (and surviving a disallowed quickfire leveler), the visitors were perhaps unfortunate not to have doubled the lead, as Alonso Martínez was denied his 12th goal of the season by the offside flag.

While Cushing was left frustrated that his side could not make their first half dominance pay, he was impressed with their defensive solidity, and ability to preserve a point despite late pressure, after D.C. had battled back to draw level.

There was plenty of praise too for Matt Freese, who produced a fine display between the sticks, making his return after suffering an MCL strain in Columbus before the international break. The shot-stopper registered six saves with safe hands throughout – clean, tidy, and ice-cool under pressure.

Cool Blue

Another man with ice in his veins… City’s talismanic #10 Santi Rodríguez.

The Uruguayan was the epitome of composure when he stepped up to break the deadlock in the capital, bagging his ninth goal of a superb MLS campaign with a sumptuous spot-kick.

Named the August Etihad Player of the Month the previous day – and for the fifth time this term – the forward extended his scoring streak into September with a delightful Panenka penalty to steer Cushing’s side ahead.

A cheeky but clinical finish from a player full of confidence – evident in his impactful displays this term. With 12 goals in all competitions, and 17 goal contributions in MLS alone, he continues to star as a key creative spark, and it was no surprise to see the 24-year-old follow up his August acclaim with a Player of the Match selection in D.C.

Case For The Defense

Unsurprisingly, much of the prematch discussion had focused on the major threat of the league’s leading goalscorer, Benteke.

The former Premier League man entered the game topping…