Five Points: Table Toppers
May 29, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release
New York City Football Club stretched their unbeaten streak in MLS to eight games on Saturday with a 1-0 win.
Here's Five Points from a big win in Minnesota.
Table Toppers
The MLS season is a long and challenging campaign, but Saturday saw NYCFC move top of the Eastern Conference.
Ronny Deila and his players won't be taking anything for granted as they move into the next phase of the campaign, but being top of the table was a small reward for their hard work this season. It will only matter most if the Boys in Blue claim the Supporters' Shield come the end of the season, but setting an early mark and pace can only be seen as a good thing.
Shapeshifter
NYCFC have shown some impressive tactical versatility under Ronny Deila.
Whether it's the team's more favored 4-2-3-1 formation, or the back three system Deila has used, NYCFC have been able to adapt to certain situations or switch things up to ask different questions of their opponent.
We saw that again on Saturday as the team spent some of the latter part of the game in a 4-4-2 formation when defending out of possession. This gave them a more rigid structure and allowed them to shut off space down the middle.
That helped the team see out the game and record another big win.
Captain Fantastic
It's often said in soccer that defending is a team effort.
On Saturday, the 10 outfield players did a tremendous job of limiting Minnesota's looks at goal and stifling chief playmaker Emmanuel Reynoso. When the Loons did manage to get shots off they found a man inspired in Sean Johnson.
He built the foundations of his brilliant performance in the fourth minute when he denied Franco Frangapange from point-blank range. Continuing that form through the game the climax of his performance came as the 90th minute approached - first denying Reynoso from distance before tipping Robin Lod's follow-up out for a corner.
Another impressive performance from Johnson, the confidence he gives his teammates has been central to this run.
Total Package
While Saturday's win against Minnesota came via a narrow margin, it represented the culmination of the team's attacking arsenal.
If you rewatch the few minutes leading up to the goal you will see a 17 pass move that ultimately earned NYCFC a decisive pair of corners. Alex Callens goal came during the second set play. We've discussed the coaching staff's hard work when it comes to devising set play routines, and when combined with their commitment to possession soccer it proved the difference maker on Sunday.
Patterns in open play, patterns from set plays, it's all about the preparation.
Shutout Streak
We'll let the tweet do the talking on this one.
With tonight's 1-0 victory, @NYCFC has become just the fourth team in @MLS history to post a shutout in six-straight games. The last team to do so was the LA Galaxy from October 2, 2009 to April 10, 2010. pic.twitter.com/BUub4BzVgr
- MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) May 29, 2022
Major League Soccer Stories from May 29, 2022
- Valiant Display Ends in Heartbreak for Charlotte FC - Charlotte FC
- LA Galaxy Earn 4-1 Win over Austin FC at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday Afternoon - LA Galaxy
- Austin FC Falls in Away Defeat - Austin FC
- Sounders FC Hosts MLS Expansion Side Charlotte FC Sunday Evening at Lumen Field - Seattle Sounders FC
- Chicago Fire FC to Head into International FIFA Break - Chicago Fire FC
- Five Points: Table Toppers - New York City FC
- Leonardo Campana Called up by Ecuador - Inter Miami CF
- Inter Miami CF Earns 2-1 Win at DRV PNK Stadium over the Portland Timbers - Inter Miami CF
- Sporting KC Falls 1-0 to Vancouver - Sporting Kansas City
- 'Caps Claim First Road Win of the Season With 1-0 Victory at SKC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Campana: âÃâ¬ÃÅInter Miami Is Going on the Right PathâÃâ¬Ã - Inter Miami CF
- Real Salt Lake Extends Home Unbeaten Run with 3-0 Victory - Real Salt Lake
- Rapids' Record Unbeaten Run Snapped by Nashville SC - Colorado Rapids
- MNUFC Lose to NYCFC 1-0 - Minnesota United FC
- Nashville Soccer Club Snaps Colorado Rapids 23-Game Home Unbeaten Streak with Three-Goal Performance - Nashville SC
- Ronny Reaction: "I'm Proud of the Way We Defended." - New York City FC
- Timbers Drop 2-1 Result against Inter Miami CF on the Road - Portland Timbers
- CF Montréal Enters Break with a 4-3 Victory - Club de Foot Montreal
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