Despite a solid win at home against the Philadelphia Union a week ago, NYCFC’s nagging inconsistencies were on display once again as the Boys in Blue fell 2-0 to the New England Revolution away at Gillette Stadium.
Mounsef Bakrar earned a rare start alongside Alonso Martinez in a refreshed lineup that saw Hannes Wolf drop into a quasi-central midfield role.
“We all know [Bakrar] is a No. 9,” manager Pascal Jansen said after the match. “For this game, we tried to get him into a situation where he would be more supportive of [Alonso Martinez], given the fact that we knew [New England] would play with one extra defender.”
From the opening whistle, the personnel switch worked, with City’s front three pressing high, keeping New England pinned back through the first ten minutes.
Agustin Ojeda and Martinez connected well on the left flank on several occasions, with Ojeda finding pockets of space between New England’s tight defensive lines.
Defensively, the Pigeons did well in controlling the pace of the match. Center back pairing Justin Haak and Thiago Martins were active, keeping the action in front of them, holding New England’s attacking threats at bay.
Sixteen minutes in, that defensive platform would give the Pigeons the confidence to go forward, with Martinez and Bakrar combining to get NYCFC’s first chance of the game, which was just off target.
Though City pinned the Revolution’s attack early on, the home side slowly grew into a rhythm 30 minutes in.
Carles Gil began to find space in transition for New England, and in the 36th minute, eventually found some room in NYCFC’s penalty area, forcing Matt Freese into a save. The Pigeons would respond five minutes later through Ojeda, who fired a shot well over the bar.
Despite City having better spells of possession and chances in the final third, New England struck first. In the 43rd minute, striker Ignatius Ganago found Leonard Campana in the box, and the Ecuador international buried the chance to give the hosts the lead just before halftime.
Jansen responded at the beginning of the second half, bringing on Keaton Parks for Ojeda in an effort to add stability and physicality to the center of the field.
However, just three minutes in, New England doubled their lead. Ganago, once the facilitator, slotted it into the back of Freese’s net off a set-piece opportunity in the 48th minute.
The rest of the match was much of the same for Jansen’s squad, pushing forward but struggling to find a breakthrough.
With a comfortable two-goal lead, New England sat deep defensively, frustrating City as they held off long enough to see out a 2-0 result.
While the loss itself was disappointing for Jansen’s men, it will also raise lingering questions about the team’s attacking identity.
As the MLS Primary Transfer Window inches to a close on April 23, NYCFC’s inconsistent performances have become even more concerning, particularly in the final third. When asked if the squad has the attackers to score consistently, Jansen was confident in his roster, but said it will take time.
“We have shown in several games that we have the quality to be very dangerous in the final third,” Jansen said.
“Today was tough, given the shape of the opponent, having a lot of bodies behind the ball. But, we have [players] who are developing themselves into better players with more impact and more quality, but unfortunately, it’s not something that is consistent yet.”
NYCFC hopes to reverse that trend as they look to bounce back away at Toronto FC on April 26.
