NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing is proud of his team’s ability to rebound as they claimed their first road win of the season, 3-2, over Toronto FC on Saturday night. The game was hard-fought with City constantly under pressure from a more veteran and aggressive Canadian club.
“I’m really proud of the development of the character of the group,” said Cushing after the game. “We have leaders like Birk Risa, Thiago Martins, James Sands, Santi Rodriguez and then we put Keaton Parks into the game. I think this group is showing a real toughness and a real spirit.”
That spirit was something lacking last season as the team stumbled at the finish line, failing to make the playoffs for the first time since their inaugural 2015 season. Returning with a young and unproven squad had many speculating as to whether the club was in a rebuilding phase that would see them as less than competitive. However, the team has answered the call in recent weeks, raising their standing to fifth off the back of four wins in their last five games.
Much of that has come from the cohesiveness that has formed between both sides of the ball. While the team is still searching for a devastating striker option, they have found deadly accuracy on the wings and in the midfield. Rodriguez, Fernandez and Wolf are now joined by young talent such as Malachi Jones and Andres Perea, the latter two scored the second and third goals on Saturday night.
“He knows his squad really well,” said Jones after the game. “That’s why he’s not afraid to switch it up and put whatever squad he thinks can go out there and get the job done. I’m glad that he gave me the opportunity to go out there and try to get favorable results. It paid off big time with a goal.”
Cushing’s work has been in stark contrast to what we’ve seen this club do in recent years. For much of its existence NYCFC has been the anti-Red Bulls, signing bigger name or veteran players to make the difference in the club. That changed in 2019 with the development of Taty Castellanos, who helped lead the team to their first MLS Cup in 2021. Now, the team has focused on hungry, yet somewhat unknown, names to lead them forward. A move that may not sit well with fans who want the big names, but instead a direction that has led to great success around MLS.
“My job is to keep pushing the team,” said Cushing. “I want to be able to put back-to-back wins on the road. I want to be able to solidify league position with points away from home. I’ll enjoy (this moment) has a coach but I want to make sure we continue to win on the road. I am so proud of the team, but we have work to do.