After a harsh loss to CF Montreal last Saturday, NYCFC dropped points after being held to a 0-0 draw away at D.C. United on Wednesday. Despite a strong offensive effort, the attack was repeatedly denied by ex-NYCFC goalkeeper Luis Barraza, who played for the club from 2021 to 2024.
The Boys in Blue came into the match looking to get back into the win column, facing a tough and physically challenging D.C. side.
With no natural left back in the starting lineup, manager Pascal Jansen handed Birk Risa the nod as a quasi-left-center back, which saw him overlap on the left flank when needed.
That adjustment was immediately tested as D.C. came out flying, pinning NYCFC in their half of the pitch with an intense high press.
Former Liverpool striker Christian Benteke, in particular, was a handful, consistently stretching City’s backline early, earning early set-piece opportunities for the hosts. NYCFC weathered the storm for the first 10 minutes, eventually getting their first solid shot on target through Alonso Martinez in the 11th minute, the first of many.
The match took on a chaotic pace from there, with both sides trading momentum. Benteke nearly opened the scoring in the 16th minute after getting on the end of a whipped-in cross, but Risa’s positional awareness was enough to throw the Belgian off.
Unfortunately for D.C., that would be Benteke’s last bit of action in the match, going down with an ankle injury in the 20th minute.
With the Belgian off the pitch, NYCFC looked far more confident pushing forward.
Eight minutes later, a dangerous set-piece opportunity gave City a golden chance on goal. Maxi Moralez whipped a ball to Justin Haak off a free kick, who then squared it to Andres Perea in the box, only for it to be saved by Barraza — a recurring theme of the night.
The ex-City goalkeeper would deny the team again in the 29th minute after a D.C. turnover gifted Martinez another chance on goal. By the 40th minute, the Costa Rican had a clear shot on target once more, but his effort was stopped by Barraza for the third time in the first half alone.
Although the Boys in Blue racked up 10 total shots and three on target in the first 45 minutes, the squad went into the break scoreless.
In the second half, Jansen would make a change, bringing on new signing Aiden O’Neill in place of Moralez, providing extra physicality and much-needed energy.
The chances would continue for Jansen’s squad after that, with Johnny Shore nearly breaking the deadlock in the 47th minute after getting on the end of a well-placed corner kick. However, Barraza would rack up his fourth save of the game, keeping the match level.
As the game ticked into the closing stages, City started to stretch D.C.’s defenders more frequently, with Martinez continuing to cause trouble for the opposition defense.
Martinez was once again denied in the 63rd minute, this time from close range, with Barraza producing yet another critical save.
Looking to net the winning goal, Jansen went to his bench with Nico Cavallo replacing Birk Risa, Mitja Ilenic in for Tayvon Gray, and later Agustin Ojeda for Hannes Wolf.
Despite Jansen’s tactical tinkering and numerous personnel changes, NYCFC failed to convert the numerous chances they had on goal. Barraza, who ended the match with six saves, was the difference maker, frustrating his former employer and preserving a clean sheet for the hosts.
The match finished goalless, leaving NYCFC sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference.
“We had a decent performance. We were very forward-minded, attacking-minded,” Jansen said after the match. “We created loads of opportunities to score the goals that we needed to win this game. So overall [I’m] satisfied, but not all the way, because we should have won this away game, that’s for sure.”
