NYCFC’s US Open Cup run came to a crashing end against USL Championship side Pittsburgh Riverhounds, losing 1-0 after conceding aa 96th-minute goal to former New York Red Bulls academy product Beto Ydrach.
Manager Pascal Jansen fielded a rotated side, with only a few first-team regulars like Justin Haak, Johnny Shore, Hannes Wolf, and Tayvon Gray getting the nod in the starting 11.
Haak, an NYCFC Homegrown, had the privilege of wearing the captain’s armband, anchoring the midfield alongside Shore, while Mounsef Bakrar earned another start following a decent performance against the New England Revolution a month ago.
The match started with City controlling possession early, dominating the opening stages of the game, using the flanks of the pitch to send crosses into Pittsburgh’s back line through Gray and Haak’s excellent long passing range.
An early chance in the 12th minute saw Haak whip in a dangerous ball into Agustin Ojeda, who nearly connected with Bakrar in the final third, giving the Boys in Blue some signs of life in attack.
Defensively, NYCFC looked organized, dropping into a compact 4-4-2 shape to limit the hosts’ chances.
However, the Riverhounds would gradually grow into the game, threatening NYCFC’s defense with multiple chances that tested goalkeeper Tomas Romero, who was in for Matt Freese. Pittsburgh managed to pin back City for stretches of the first half, but defensively, Jansen’s squad held firm.
Just before halftime, a dangerous delivery by Gray found Andres Perea, whose header went just wide. City’s occasional sloppy play started to show, as a late turnover gifted Pittsburgh a shot on target in the 45th minute, but Romero came up big to keep it level at the break.
It was much of the same in the second half for NYCFC, but the attacking inclusion of Julian Fernandez for Birk Risa added extra dynamism in the final third for the Pigeons. Passing became fluid, with Wolf and Perea combining well in Pittsburgh’s half.
In the 50th minute, Wolf picked out Perea again, but the shot was saved. Fernandez subsequently had another chance on target moments later, only for the shot to be pushed away.
Despite the team’s control of most of the ball (69% to 31% in City’s favor), a breakthrough was difficult. Momentum shifted for Jansen and his men when centerback Strahinja Tanasijevic was sent off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO), leaving NYCFC with just 10 men.
Even down a man, City came close to getting a match-winning goal in the 86th minute when Fernandez blasted a cross from Ojeda just past the post – a golden opportunity.
Ultimately, missed chances and lackadaisical defending cost the Pigeons the game as the Riverhounds would score in the 96th minute off a corner kick, ending their Open Cup run before it truly started.
“I told my guys, when Tanasijevic was sent off, all of a sudden, there’s urgency in the team. When we went a man down, the energy was there, like it should’ve been from the start,” Jansen said post-game.
“Even in possession, we created situations where we should’ve scored and created something. But if you slack one moment like we did in the second half, going into [extra time] – because this is a question of discipline, you know what’s being asked in this situation for the corner kick – we just didn’t do it. That’s why we concede.”
NYCFC will look to bounce back from the loss this Saturday when they take on CF Montreal at Yankee Stadium.
