New York City FC wasn’t expected to pull out a result against a Miami team that has been touted as potentially one of the best ever assembled in MLS. However, City forgot to read the narrative and nearly pulled out a win following a very entertaining game on Saturday night. City held a second half lead well into stoppage time but were toppled by a late Telasco Segovia equalizer, assisted by Lionel Messi.
“I think my boys took on the challenge with brave hearts and were very courageous,” said new head coach Pascal Jansen. “I think we controlled some parts of the game the way we wanted to, especially out of possession, even though they went down to 10 men. Then again, it’s always very, very sad to concede a late equalizer.”
Many had wondered how this team would perform without star designated player Santiago Rodriguez, who departed officially for Brazilian club Botafogo earlier in the day. Veteran and club legend Maxi Moralez stepped up to the challenge with an assist on the equalizer, setting the tone for the team’s performance. From there we continued to see the growth of striker Alonso Martinez who intercepted a bad pass to score the go-ahead goal in the second half.
This season will also be an indictment on the success of City’s development process. Players like Mitja Illenic, who battled for his position all of 2024, made decision making even harder for the coaching staff with his equalizing goal. Players like Jonathan Shore also took to the field for the first time, proving that Jansen won’t have any apprehension when going to his bench for players yet to show their level in the top U.S. league.
“Jonny Shore, one of our youngest players, performed really will in preseason and earned his playing time,” said Jansen on his substitutions. “It was a great challenge for them to experience how top players manage a game like this, and that’s something they can take into the next match.”
New York City will remain on the road for week 2, traveling to LAFC who had a less-than-convincing 1-0 win over Minnesota United to start their season.
photo by Jordan Banks