New York City FC are at a crossroads as they continue their tough road trip, this time traveling to Mercedes Benz Stadium to play Atlanta United on Wednesday. The team has been streaky, riding the wave of highs and lows to chaotic results. However, should they push for a significant playoff position, they will need to begin their reformation quickly.
“It’s about creating goal chances,” said head coach Nick Cushing following the team’s scoreless draw against Chicago on Saturday. “If we don’t have a goal threat, if we don’t open teams up on their own home field, then it makes the game difficult to win.”
City’s last two away games have shown worrying signs on offense. Despite starting Alonso Martinez, who has been finding the back of the net regularly, the team was only able to score one goal in 180 minutes. This against two teams that have been less than stellar in recent weeks. What is even more concerning is that players like Martinez, Hannes Wolf and Santiago Rodriguez have gone silent with little off of the bench to create a spark.
Chicago was particularly worrying considering that the Fire were a team in last place when the ball was kicked off. While the weather was hot and humid, it was more than just City’s legs that were lagging. Their ability to pull Chicago’s defense away from the net wasn’t working.
Still, City didn’t lose. While it may feel like two dropped points, the team was able to grab a much-needed point on the road. Defensively, there are concerns for Cushing’s men, who are rather thin on the depth chart due to injuries. Tayvon Gray’s injury, Birk Risa’s recent knocks and suspensions to James Sands has the team searching for answers. However, the scoreless draw does show positive signs of fight in the club.
“We showed maturity tonight in a difficult place,” said Cushing. “(NYCFC is) a team that is fighting and scrapping for their life to make sure that we didn’t lose the game. I thought they didn’t have many chances themselves.”