New York City FC were heavily favored to win on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium against last place DC United but the visitors had something else in mind as a 77th minute goal from Gabriel Pirano was the decider. City played a dominant game on the stat sheet but failed where it mattered most, in front of goal.
NYC did everything right through most of the first half, controlling possession, shots, passes and scoring chances. Their efforts helped them take the lead in the 19th minute from an unlikely source. Defender Justin Haak scored his first goal of the season, and second of his career, off an assist from Alonso Martinez. A smart pass in the box saw the ball fall to Haak who took his shot and beat DC goalkeeper Luis Barraza. City pushed on from there as they chased a second goal with United on the back foot.
The momentum took a dramatic shift in the 43rd minute when a throw-in took a few deflections before falling to the foot of Pirani. His effort from the top of the box equalized the game and set the stage for a massive second half.
NYC continued to control the game but saw their chances decrease dramatically. For DC, they bunkered into a low block and looked for their moment to strike. It appeared as if it would never come but that all changed in the 77th minute. DC star player Christian Benteke played a ball through to Pirani who made the run and beat Matt Freese for the game-winner.
City chased the game with the usual offense-based substitutions but couldn’t find the moment to equalize the game. Agustin Ojeda and Julian Fernandez did little to change the outcome. Andres Perea and Maxi Moralez were mostly neutralized as was the team’s leading goal-scorer Alonso Martinez.
The loss is a setback for NYCFC as they head into the international break. Next up will be a trip to Chicago to play a Fire team that has a chance to control their playoff fate. A win and they will put City’s hopes in danger while also bumping New York Red bulls who currently sit in 9th place. With only seven games remaining in the regular season, City will need points against teams like Chicago to keep themselves out of the wildcard play-in game at the end of October.
STARTING XI:
New York City FC: Freese; Gray, Martins, Haak, O’Toole (82′ J. Fernandez), Wolf (77′ Ojeda), O’Neill, N. Fernandez, Moralez, Perea, Martinez
DC United: Barraza; Herrera, Bartlett, Rowles, Schnegg, Hopkins (66′ Antley), Peltola, Servania (66′ Enow), Pirani (84′ Stroud), Benteke, Peglow (58′ Kijima)
SCORING SUMMARY:
19′ (New York City FC) Justin Haak (1) assisted by Alonso Martinez
43′ (DC United) Gabriel Pirani(4) unassisted
77′ (DC United) Gabriel Pirani (5) assisted by Christian Benteke
DISCIPLINE:
18′ (DC United) David Schnegg – YELLOW CARD
45′ (DC United) Christian Benteke – YELLOW CARD
87′ (DC United) Boris Enow – YELLOW CARD
90′ (DC United) Aaron Herrera – YELLOW CARD
photo from NYCFC