New York City FC (NYCFC) produced their best performance of the Pascal Jansen era to date to claim a fully-deserved 1-0 victory over in-form FC Cincinnati at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon.
Julian Fernandez’s well-taken goal early in the first half proved the difference between the sides as NYCFC claimed a third successive home victory over Cincinnati.
NYCFC was dominant for large parts of Sunday’s encounter and would have won far more comfortably had they proved more clinical in the final third, with Alonso Martinez missing a hatful of chances throughout.
Jansen’s side have now claimed back-to-back 1-0 wins after beating Toronto last weekend, while they have now recorded three shutouts in four games after beating Philadelphia by the same scoreline in mid-April. Victory on Sunday saw NYCFC leapfrog New York Red Bulls and move into seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Jansen praised his side for a “stable, aggressive and energized performance” against a Cincinnati side that started the weekend top of the Eastern Conference.
NYCFC made an encouraging start against the in-form team in the MLS and almost took the lead after just six minutes when Andreas Perea diverted a miscued Fernandez effort goalbound and forcing Roman Calentano into a smart save.
They did take the lead just two minutes later when the influential Fernandez swept home from the edge of the area, firing into the bottom corner after a Maxi Moralez cutback was deflected into his path.
Their tails up, NYCFC sought to put the game to bed early on and was presented with a golden opportunity on 14 minutes when Cincinnati captain Matt Miazga fouled Martinez as he raced through on goal. The contact was minimal but sufficient for referee Drew Fischer to point to the spot.
Martinez dusted himself down but crashed his effort against the post with Calentano beaten all ends up.
NYCFC remained well on top despite that penalty miss and should have doubled their lead when Moralez sent Perea through on goal shortly before the 20-minute mark. The midfielder’s touch was poor, however, and he could only poke his snatched effort wide of the post.
An injury to Keaton Parks midway through the first half threatened to halt the home side’s momentum, but Calentano still had to produce two smart saves to deny Martinez with the half time break on the horizon.
Cincinnati came into Sunday’s game on the back of a five-game winning run and without a defeat since mid-March but looked well off the pace for large parts of the affair. Kevin Denkey and Evander, who have scored six league goals apiece since moving to Cincinnati in the off-season, rarely looked like troubling the NYCFC defense throughout in an insipid display.
The visitors did come inches away from equalizing in first-half stoppage time, however, when Miazga volleyed off the crossbar after Matt Freese had failed to punch clear from a corner.
That was as close as Cincinnati would come, with the visitors failing to put NYCFC under any real pressure in a second-half performance that was just as disappointing as the first.
In reality, it was NYCFC continued to do all the running the second period as the hosts sought to establish breathing room and seal a fully deserved victory.
Martinez should have wrapped up all three points on 62 minutes when he peeled away from the Cincinnati defense to meet an inviting Tayvon Gray cross, but he failed to find the target from six yards out with a free header.
The hosts had numerous occasions to kill the game off on the counterattack as Cincinnati piled more bodies forward in search of a late equalizer but frequently found their decision-making and final pass wanting in the final third.
That lack of a cutting edge set up a nervy final 15 minutes, with Freese doing well to smother a close-range from substitute Gerardo Valenzuela with 78 minutes on the clock.
However, with Evander and Denkey struggling for chances, Cincinnati looked toothless in attack in the closing stages and rarely troubled Freese in the NYCFC goal. It is hardly surprising, considering both players have scored 12 of Cincinnati’s 15 league goals this season.
Jansen praised his side for making it difficult for both players to pick up their favored positions throughout the game on Sunday.
Sunday’s game was the first of potentially nine games for NYCFC in May, with Jansen’s side set to travel to Pittsburgh for a U.S. Open cup meeting with the Riverhounds on Wednesday evening.
Jansen said the team has a “challenging schedule” ahead and said he will now determine whether he rotates on Wednesday evening or not after successfully navigating the first game of the month.
