New York City FC got a major win over the weekend over Toronto FC, 1-0 at BMO Field but the team is still looking for a dominant performance to mark the early part of their 2025 season. The win was a step in the right direction and Alonso Martinez continues to be the force that pushes the team forward. However, head coach Pascal Jansen would like the club to find their clinical nature in order to alleviate the pressure late in games.
“We make it a little tougher on ours because we don’t get that second goal,” said Jansen after the game. “We had to fight until the end, and that’s what the guys did. So that’s a huge compliment to them.”
Toronto FC, a team that has star power that seems to underperform week-over-week, were kept off the scoreboard thanks to a concerted defensive effort late in the game. Star goalkeeper Matt Freese came up with key stops while young prospect Tayvon Gray put on of his best performances since his return from injury.
To their credit, City did try to double the lead. Toronto keeper Sean Johnson made key saves as well in a desperate attempt to keep his spiraling club in the game. It wasn’t enough for them but City would have preferred an extra goal or two in order to make a statement of intent in their first road win of the season.
“The discipline was good,” said Jansen on his team’s performance. “As it has been in most games and in major parts of those games. Today we had to make sure we secured the clean sheet with some tough defending as well.”
City’s win brought their record to 4-4-2, a respectable number considering they lost three of four in the last month. The schedule hasn’t been easy on the club either in the first third of the season with games against Miami, Columbus, Minnesota and LAFC. The storm isn’t quite weathered yet as Cincinnati is next and New York Red Bulls come later in the month of May. Still, an important win is what Jansen and City needed and the club delivered when it was needed most.
photo by Jordan Bank