Agustin Ojeda was a quiet star for everything NYCFC did going forward against the Philadelphia Union on Sunday night. Playing on both the left and right wings, the 5-foot-7 pacy winger was a constant threat in and behind the Union backline, whilst always tracking back to do the dirty work during the hard-fought 2-1 win.
It was his pass that found Fernández Mercau for the first goal, and he also served up the cross for Tayvon Gray’s winner.
“Agu is maturing,” head coach Pascal Jansen said after the match. “He plays more mature, more solid possession and more threat in the attack. You can rely on and trust him when we’re out of possession.”
His hard work created three chances throughout the match, hitting the post once with a first-half chance.
Keaton Parks found Ojeda well inside the Union half, and timed his run beautifully to beat his marker. With two touches, he did well to deceive and wrong-foot the retreating Francis Westfield, but the Argentine could not wrap his right foot around the ball enough, slamming it onto the post in the 26th minute.
A minute later, he found himself with space on the left flank with Westfield again. Running at pace, he attempted to cut sharply inside with his left foot, but mistimed the action. His right leg knocked the ball out of play with five City shirts waiting in the box.
“A lot of times with young players, they experience peaks and valleys,” Dax McCarty, MLS analyst and former New York Red Bull, told amNY. “So you just have to try to get them to a level of consistency that you know you can rely on them.”
The 20-year-old is still young, and inconsistencies are to be expected. But Jansen has shown his faith in him before, playing him in all 43 matches last season as a starter or an impact substitute off the bench. He will remain a key part of this NYCFC attack, with or without a new number nine.
Ojeda didn’t look defeated from messing up one time, but instead kept knocking on the door of that left side for New York. His persistence finally paid off, as it was his through ball that found Nicolás Fernández Mercau in on goal, and Hannes Wolf opened the scoring from the rebound.
Working with Kevin O’Toole against the Union, the Irish-American full-back frequently underlapped his winger, giving Ojeda more space to operate by the byline. He does his best work with more pitch to work with because his pace has been a problem for MLS fullbacks since he joined from Racing Club before the 2024 season. It doesn’t matter what side of the pitch he is on.
“Once I saw the game and saw the profiles of the opponents’ fullbacks, I thought we could get more from Agu’s pace in behind in the one-on-ones on the left side than on the right,” Jansen said.
With Wolf, who is comfortable playing on either side as well, they provide an unpredictability to this NYCFC side, and defenders have a handful trying to guess how to set up against the Boys in Blue.
“I do believe versatility is one of the keys to how Pascal Jansen sees his players and sees his playing style — being able to switch things up tactically and not always being married to play one formation,” McCarty said.
Now in this third year, more is expected of him — including beating his tally of one goal and six assists last year. He already has one, a good curling cross that found Gray at the back post, and one starting winger spot is his. He will need to keep this up to continue leaving the likes of the talented Talles Magno on the bench.
“I’m not surprised — I’m going against Agu nine out of 10 times, so I know what he’s capable of,” Gray said. “I’m just happy that the success is showing on the field. I see everything behind closed doors, and he deserves every bit of credit he’s getting.”
