New York City FC fell behind early against Minnesota United FC on Sunday, never to recover as they lost their first home game of 2025 and fell to 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. While the result is frustrating enough, new head coach Pascal Jansen lamented his teams inability to start the game with the right attitude or energy.
“You can never start a match like we did today,” said Jansen after the loss. “With the level of intensity and aggression in this match, if you see the first few moments going into this game, protection of the ball is a massive aspect in the development of our team.”
That possession was troublesome early in the contest. Minnesota, who has started the season off well, has shown that they press the ball aggressively and are able to force teams into turnovers in dangerous positions. Tani Oluwaseyi’s opening goal in the second minute was a perfect example of how they play. The away team caught City as they were transitioning up the field and were able to force an uneven rush in the opposite direction.
From there City didn’t respond well as their passes continued to look lethargic and without purpose. That energy continued into the 29th minute when a set piece from just outside the box caught the defense off guard. Joaquin Pereyra passed to the top of the box where Will Trapp took a quick shot, beating the defenders and ricocheting off of goalkeeper Matt Freese to double the lead.
NYC did respond in the second half as Jansen made 40th minute substitutions to revitalize his team. In particular, Agustin Ojeda provided the width and one-on-one dynamism that was lacking from Julian Fernandez or Alonso Martinez in the opening half.
“When Agustin Ojeda comes in on the left side, this kid just took him on one-v-one and he creates a lot of danger,” said Jansen. “That was lacking in our play. You have the opportunity with Hannes (Wolf), of course. We had a few moments where we could have gotten back into the game with the new strategy, but that’s something that was lacking today.”
That lack of fire is something that has now been missing for three halves of play. One week prior, the team dropped a two-goal lead after the 60th minute, losing to Atlanta United. This week, they start slow and are unable to dig out of a self-inflicted hole. City have now dropped two straight games and will have to welcome a resurgent Philadelphia Union to Citi Field on Saturday evening.
“We have to be urgent at this point,” said midfielder Keaton Parks after the game. “We’ve got to start that way. We can’t give up goals.”
photo by Jordan Bank