If he had any hair, New York City FC coach Patrick Vieira probably would be pulling it after watching his team again squander home points.
NYC FC continued its bad run at home with a 3-2 loss to Real Salt Lake at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night.
The result was another frustrating night. City outplayed RSL for most of the match and had nothing to show for it.
City (4-5-6, 18 points) has won only once in nine home matches. It has accrued only eight points in those games thanks to a 1-3-5 record; in contrast, City is 3-2-1 on the road. RSL, which had lost three of four matches entering the contest, improved to 7-4-2.
“We have to change something, and the something for me is the mental approach of the game,” Vieira said. “We have to be a little bit more humble. I think the team at times showed a bit of arrogance, little bit too much confidence, and we get punished straight away.”
The punishment came during a 15-minute span in the second half in which City allowed three goals in giving up its one-goal lead.
After City dominated a scoreless first half in which David Villa failed to score on six chances, rookie Jack Harrison celebrated his first MLS start with his first professional goal when his 20-yard shot deflected off RSL defender Justen Glad in the 56th minute.
“I was impressed with his performance,” Vieira said. “Jack is a talented football player. He understands the game. He is making the right decisions.”
But apparently his team did not.
“We might have dropped our focus and concentration when we scored the first goal,” Vieira said.
Yura Movsisyan outmuscled center back Jason Hernandez in the box before depositing the ball into the lower right corner for a 1-1 tie in the 59th minute. After Frederic Brillant fouled Movsisyan on the left side, Javier Morales lofted a free kick into the area that Andoni Iraola headed out to Juan Manuel Martínez, who trapped the ball before powering a shot past goalkeeper Josh Saunders.
Things went from bad to worse as Brillant deflected Morales’ right-wing shot for an own goal in the 74th minute.
Villa pulled one back on a penalty kick in the 87th minute, but it was too little and too late.
