Five Points: Momentum Shift
June 20, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release
New York City FC suffered defeat on the road against the LA Galaxy.
City fell to a 2-0 defeat at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Here are Five Points from the game...
Press
Nick Cushing spoke in his pre-match press conference about City's desire to attack the game and they did just that on Wednesday.
The Boys in Blue wasted no time in trying to press the Galaxy into a mistake and that earned them several good half-chances. Unfortunately, City weren't able to capitalize on those opportunities but that commitment to a proactive identity will deliver success if they persist.
Momentum Shift
The cruel nature of soccer was best seen in the first half.
The game was creeping toward half-time, City looked comfortable and were creating chances. Then, after one unfortunate turnover, City were behind and Dejan Joveljić had his 11th goal of the season.
Goals change games, and to concede so close to halftime was a further blow for City after a strong start. It wasn't what they deserved, but it was an influential moment in the context of the game.
Counter
One of the consequences of the Galaxy claiming the first goal of the game is that it allowed them to slightly alter their approach to the game.
The Galaxy sat like a coiled spring, ready to counter on City and that is exactly how the Galaxy doubled their lead. Direct and decisive play by the Galaxy made the most of the space created by City pushing forward in search of an equalizer.
Conceding in the 48th minute wasn't the ideal way to start the half and gave Galaxy an even more comfortable position as they sought to close the contest out and maintain their unbeaten run at home this season.
Fine Margins
The stat sheet told much of the story.
City edged possession, were just shaded in terms of chances, and overall ran the Galaxy close on the night.
Despite that, they departed California with a 2-0 defeat that didn't feel like an accurate reflection of the contest. City know all too well how influential those fine margins can be, particularly against the teams at the top of the table, and on Wednesday they found themselves on the wrong side of that line.
The Streak Ends
City had found the net in their last six games on the bounce before Wednesday night.
That stat underlined their commitment to attacking football as well as the quality and depth among the squad. It was disappointing to see that run of goal-scoring come to an end on Wednesday night, but the players will be eager to make sure they start the count again when they take to the field on Saturday against Nashville SC.
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