BY ALANIS GUINADA
NYCFC overtook Nashville FC to win 2-1 on Saturday, April 15 at CitiField in Queens, New York. The comfortable early lead and the roars of the crowd made it a night to remember for the ‘Boys in Blue.’
With a season high game, NYCFC goalkeeper Luis Barraza was beaming after the match, as he played a crucial role in the win. Barraza faced the most shoots against him – six – and saved five, with three saved just within the first half.
“One of our toughest games so far,” said Barraza. “But we managed to keep our cool and find the back of the net, which is what we have been working on this week. Just happy to get the result.”
Coach Nick Cushing has emphasized that the team sees victory when they stick to their attacking play, which he attributes to the win against one of the harder teams in the conference.
One thing you can guarantee a constant for these NYCFC home games is the home team crowd that consistently fills the stadiums with their cheers and chants, and the combination of these two factors is what Cushing said gave his team the edge of the night.
“I definitely feel the atmosphere. Like I said in the dressing room before [the match], we know our crowd here feeds off our attacking play,” said Cushing after the match.
NYCFC Midfielder Keaton Parks and Defender Maxine Chanot both scored their first goals of the season in record games for the pair.
Parks scored his first goal of this season in the tenth minute and Chanot had a high stat game, with one goal in the twenty-fifth minute, a 93% pass accuracy rate, four accurate long balls, one tackle won, and two ground duels won.
After those two goals, NYCFC were up by two within the first 25 minutes of the game, forcing Nashville to make the extra effort to catch up and attempt to overcome their lead
Overall, the team kept the pressure for the remainder of the game, only allowing one goal in the eightieth’ minute from Nashville FC’s midfielder Hany Mukhtar, a key player in Nashville’s attack.
Keaton Parks emphasized that, with the pressure that the home team maintained, the game was able to end the way it did.
“Whether we were suffering or playing well with the ball, everybody gave their all the whole time. We deserve these three points,” said Parks after the match, proud of what the team accomplished at home.
Satisfied with the win but looking towards the future, Cushing said he was happy with the result but maintains his stance on how crucial it is to establish a dominant presence on the field and take any opportunities to be up by larger margins.
“We get that type of game and the crowd feeds off it. That is when we are at our best. The only disappointment was that we should have been three or four up before we conceded the goal,” said Cushing in the post match conference.
This win moves the NYCFC side up to fifth in the Eastern Conference and keeps their hopes alive of fighting for the MLS Cup. Their next match up is Saturday, April 22, continuing their home game streak at Citi Field.