Ronny Deila enjoyed an unhappy return to New York as NYCFC thumped Atlanta United 4-0 in the final MLS game before the mid-season break at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night.
A Maxi Moralez goal on the stroke of half time, coupled with goals from Mounsef Bakrar and Hannes Wolf (2) in an electric four-minute spell early in the second half, sealed victory for NYCFC in a result that catapults Pascal Jansen’s from 10th to fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Deila, who masterminded NYCFC’s maiden MLS Cup success in 2021, looked capable of masterminding a result at Yankee Stadium as Atlanta got the better of a tense opening half, creating by far the best moments of the opening period.
NYCFC often toiled against Atlanta’s rigid back-five and often looked short of ideas in what was shaping up to be a dour affair.
Moralez’s goal, which came from an Atlanta mistake late in the half, changed all of that, completely swinging the momentum in favor of the hosts and forcing Atlanta to come out of their defensive shape in the second period.
Despite missing the services of top-scorer Alonso Martinez, NYCFC took full advantage of the additional space afforded to them, with Wolf and Bakrar providing the excellent finishing touch during a blistering period just shy of the hour mark.
Jansen said afterwards that Moralez’s goal was a critical moment in what had been an even encounter, stating that he urged his players to slow down and “take care of the ball” during his half-time team talk. He praised his side for punishing Atlanta “severely” during a ruthless spell in the second half.
The result, by far NYCFC’s biggest win of the season to date, marks the first time that New York has scored four goals since Jansen’s appointment in the closed season.
The emphatic nature of the victory also served as the perfect tonic to NYCFC’s bleak 3-0 defeat against Houston Dynamo in their last home outing last month. Jansen’s side now bounces into the 16-day break before a trip to basement boys Montréal on June 28.
Moralez’s goal came at the end of a dismal opening half from the hosts, who only kept Atlanta at bay courtesy of the crossbar and the offside flag.
They were also fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty in the 13th-minute when Tomas Romero, deputizing for Matt Freese in the NYCFC goal, clattered into Jamal Thiare as he chased a through ball from Alexey Miranchuk.
Romero appeared to sweep Thiare’s leg, but referee Sergii Boiko ruled that Romero had touched the ball first. The touch, if any, was minimal.
NYCFC, often static in attack throughout the opening period, had the crossbar to thank just after the half-hour mark when Miranchuk beat Romero all ends up with a fierce 25-yard drove but saw his effort rattle the woodwork.
Derrick Williams thought he had given the visitors the lead on 37 minutes when he tapped in from close range from a Thiare knockdown, but the Irish international had strayed just offside and the goal was correctly ruled out.
Jansen described the offside and penalty calls as “two crucial moments” in an even game, stating – with the hint of a smile – that Romero had “clearly” touched the ball before making contact with Thiare.
The half, lifeless for most parts, appeared to be heading toward a dreary conclusion when NYCFC opened the scoring out of absolutely nothing one minute before the break.
Moralez’s pressure forced an error out of Brooks Lennon deep in Atlanta territory, with the Atlanta wing-back passing straight to Wolf on the edge of the area. Wolf slipped in Moralez, who gave Brad Guzan the eyes and finished at the near post to give the hosts an unlikely lead at the break.
NYCFC was a team transformed after that goal. Often static or error-strewn in the first half, they noticeably upped the tempo and had killed off the game as a contest by the hour mark.
Bakrar almost doubled the lead on 54 minutes when his close-range after was denied by a sprawling Guzan save, but the Algerian forward made amends within 60 seconds when he swept home a delightful first-time effort to the top corner from an Andres Perea pass.
Then it was the Hannes Wolf show, with the Austrian winger scoring twice in two minutes to wrap the game up by 59 minutes.
First, Wolf collected a Moralez pass, stood Lennon up and bent a precise right-footed shot beyond Guzan and into the bottom corner on 57 minutes. Two minutes later, the Austrian latched onto a Justin Haak through ball and clipped a delicate chip over the onrushing Guzan to put the result beyond all doubt.
Wolf has now scored four goals against Atlanta this season after scoring a brace in a 4-3 defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. He also scored a brace in NYCFC’s 2-2 draw at Nashville last time out.
There was to be no hattrick for the Austrian on Thursday night, however, as the game largely passed without incident in the final half-hour, with NYCFC seemingly content to settle for a 4-0 victory.
