New York City FC II Blanked by New Mexico United, 3-0
May 21, 2024 - MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
New York City FC II News Release
New York City FC II suffered a 3-0 defeat against New Mexico United in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. A tight contest saw New Mexico take the lead through Avionne Flanagan in the 50th minute. City were reduced to ten men in the 55th minute after Samuel Owusu was shown a straight red card. The visitors would double their advantage ten minutes later through Talen Maples before Anthony Herbert added a third in the 86th minute.
Match Recap
New York City FC II were hoping for more cup success when they hosted New Mexico United on Tuesday evening.
City were the last remaining MLS NEXT Pro team in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and they were eager to see their run continue when they welcomed USL Championship opposition to Belson Stadium in Queens.
Head Coach Matt Pilkington named a strong side for the game with Serbian defender Strahinja Tanasijević bolstering the backline. There was also a second start in the competition for Jovan Mjiatović following his MLS debut against the Red Bulls at the weekend.
Beginning at a fast pace, both sides spent the early exchanges trying to wrestle control of possession, with a feisty and scrappy game playing out during the first fifteen minutes. In the 16th minute, City engineered their first real chance after Mijatović laid the ball back to Jacob Arroyave on the edge of the area.
The midfielder did his best to settle the ball and get a shot away, but he was unable to exert the control required and it went wide.
New York City would come even closer minutes later after Mijatović rose highest from a corner kick. The forward was able to get his header on target but saw a goalline clearance deny him a maiden strike in the U.S. Open Cup.
Pilkington's side were knocking at the door and a dangerous delivery from Drew Baiera in the 24th minute forced a New Mexico defender to clear the ball behind for a corner. With half-time drawing near, Piero Elias pounced on a loose ball inside the New Mexico half and drove toward goal before firing off a shot that only narrowly missed the target.
The second period saw both sides emerge with an eagerness to break the deadlock. The visitors started the better of the two sides and that saw Mukwelle Akele break the offside trap with a well-timed run in behind. The winger then attempted to cut back onto his left foot but saw his shot smothered by Tomás Romero.
City would respond instantly thanks to a driving run and through ball from Jonathan Jiménez. The forward's pass found Mijatović inside the area, but he dragged his effort wide of the right-hand post.
New Mexico would punish City for that miss in the 50th minute after a sweeping move from back to front saw the ball make its way to Avionne Flanagan on the left. The winger produced several stepovers before firing a drilled effort across Romero and into the net.
Things would go from bad to worse for New York City five minutes later as Samuel Owusu was shown a straight red card. The defender was part of an off-the-ball coming together with Marco Micaletto and after the referee was able to calm both sides down Owusu was given his marching orders.
Pilkington would make his first change of the evening in the 64th minute as he introduced Jake Rozhansky in place of Máximo Carrizo.
Unfortunately, the visitors would double their advantage a minute later from a corner. Talen Maples was the man to put New Mexico two goals ahead after his near post run allowed him to connect with an in-swinging cross.
City remained undeterred in their efforts to get back into the contest and pushed their opponents with every ounce of energy. Pilkington would turn to his bench again in the 81st minute to introduce Klevis Haxhari for Elias.
Despite City's best efforts, New Mexico would make it three in the 86th minute after Anthony Herbet pounced on a rebound to convert from close range. That would be the final goal of the evening, confirming a 3-0 win for New Mexico, and bringing an end to City's magical cup run.
What's Next
Next up for New York City FC II is a meeting with New England Revolution II on Sunday, May 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00PM ET at Gillette Stadium.
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