This was never going to be an easy game. New York City FC have one of the worst records in MLS, and league-leading FC Cincinnati have the best. So what if NYCFC last played six days ago, and Cincinnati slogged through 120 minutes of soccer on a steamy Wednesday night in a loss to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami? The advantage was always going to belong to Cincinnati, a team that went from punching bag to glamour club in a little less than two years.
But NYCFC were supposed to put up a fight, maybe even threaten to beat the odds and steal a win. That fantasy was shattered just six minutes into the game, when Cincinnati forward Aaron Boupendza scored after a sloppy giveaway by NYCFC talisman Maxi Moralez.
Boupendeza joined Cincinnati in the summer transfer window, and now has two goals in three MLS games. He was brought in to replace Brenner, a prolific if unhappy goal-scorer who now plays for Udinese in Serie A — it looks like Cincinnati found their man. On the other side of the field, NYCFC striker Mounsef Bakrar looked disconnected from the rest of the attack. He managed to take one shot in his 57 minutes on the field, and has yet to score a goal – or really make much of an impact – in his two MLS games. He was brought in to replace Taty Castellanos, a prolific and hard-working goal-scorer who now plays for Lazio — it could be that NYCFC found their man in the long term, but we won’t know until next year.
That’s because NYCFC’s 2023 season ended tonight.
NYCFC Results by Season
Year | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | Place |
2023 | 26 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 35 | -10 | 26 | #13 |
2022 | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 57 | 41 | +16 | 55 | #3 |
2021 | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 51 | #4 |
2020 | 23 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 37 | 25 | +12 | 39 | #5 |
2019 | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 63 | 42 | +21 | 64 | #1 |
2018 | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 59 | 45 | +14 | 56 | #3 |
2017 | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 57 | #2 |
2016 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 57 | 57 | +5 | 54 | #2 |
2015 | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 58 | 58 | -9 | 37 | #8 |
A tale of two New York Cities
This NYCFC team takes two forms. One is a technical, skilled side that creates chances but can’t finish them: That’s the NYCFC we saw lose to Minnesota United on Sunday. That NYCFC is often the better team on the field but they can’t handle the physicality of the opposition, or they’re undone by officiating, or they’re unlucky in front of goal. It’s heartbreaking to watch that NYCFC lose games they deserve to win.
The other NYCFC is insipid and disconnected, a team that’s well-drilled enough to keep possession but that looks to be utterly without ideas. That NYCFC barely bothers to attack, either sending one forward up at a time on a suicide mission, or bringing up all the midfielders and forwards in an even line at the top of the box — there’s no movement, no depth, no late runner, no creativity.