New York City FC qualify for the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup and punch their ticket to an epic meeting with Tigres next week after a penalty shootout win over New England Revolution on Friday night. The game was heavily affected by stormy weather, making for a disjointed and less than clinical game that saw few chances from both sides.
Both regulation goals came in the first half when Santiago Rodriguez drew a penalty in the 35th minute. The Uruguayan forward converted the effort, giving the visitors the lead in Foxboro. The advantage didn’t last long as the Revolution came back just five minutes later when Bobby Wood finished a ball in the box with a sliding effort. From there New England continued to push but weren’t able to find the deciding goal in the game.
Both teams had opportunities in the second half with City hitting the post and the Revolution putting several efforts over the crossbar. Both teams reverted to a physical style late in the contest when offensive substitutes from City did little to sway the final scoreline.
Penalties after regulation proved to be an effective for both sides as only one attempt was missed. It was the sixth attempt by New England and Mark Anthony Kaye that was the decider. A miss put City on the bubble and defensive midfielder Justin Haak converted to eliminate the Revolution from Leagues Cup and securing the sweep for City in all competitions.
Next up will be a tough test for City in Liga MX giants Tigres. While not confirmed, it is expected that City will host the game at Red Bull Arena next week.
STARTING XI:
New York City FC: Freese; Gray, Martins, Risa (81′ Fernandez), McFarlane, Parks (58′ Haak), Sands, Wolf (58′ Moralez), Rodriguez, Ojeda, Mijatovic (65′ Martinez)
New England Revolution: Ivacic; Bye, Arreaga, Romney, Miller, Polster, Kaye, Panayotou, Harkes, Boateng (61′ McNamara), Wood (86′ Fry)
SCORING SUMMARY:
35′ (NYCFC) Santiago Rodriguez (PK)
40′ (New England Revolution) Bobby Wood assisted by Brandon Bye
DISCIPLINE:
41′ (NYCFC) Santiago Rodriguez – YELLOW CARD
45′ (NYCFC) James Sands – YELLOW CARD
90′ (NYCFC) Justin Haak – YELLOW CARD
