Mistakes continue to haunt NYCFC after draw with Atlanta United FC
A short-handed New York City FC faced Atlanta United FC on Saturday night, desperately in search of a win. A rough loss against the New York Red Bulls put the team below the playoff line, and any further losses threatened to derail any hope of the postseason.
The match did not end in a loss, which was a good thing. The bad news was that the Pigeons gave up the lead to share the points with Atlanta in a 2-2 draw.
It did not help that NYCFC was without quite a few starters. Other than those out injured, four players were missing due to international duty: Matt Freese, Tayvon Gray, Mitja Ilenič, and Aiden O’Neill. As such, Tomás Romero started in goal, with James Sands having to play fully out of his comfort zone as the right-back with both right-backs unavailable. Jonathan Shore stepped into the defensive midfield, which he has done often.
Nevertheless, the team fielded was strong enough to get a win over Atlanta. And for a while, it felt like the game would end in a positive result.
NYCFC drops points in Atlanta
The Pigeons struck early in the 5th minute thanks to every team’s favorite goal scorer, Own Goal. Agustín Ojeda sent the ball across the goal to allow any of his teammates nearby to tap it in. Instead, Atlanta United’s Matthew Edwards sent the ball into the goal to give NYCFC the lead.
That did not last long due to a goal from Giuliano Galoppo. The home side had a corner kick, and the ball eventually fell to Tomás Jacob. He sent a perfect through-ball to Galoppo right in front of the left side of the goal, which was empty since Romero was on the other side of the goal. With ease, the midfielder pushed the ball in, tying the game in the 10th minute. There was a question of whether the goal was offside due to Breel Embolo, but the goal was given.
While there were a few shaky moments with the backline, even with Romero, NYCFC maintained possession, mostly in the first half, to decrease the threat from the Five Stripes. When they did not have the ball, those in the backline, like Thiago Martins, closed down attackers and intercepted the ball when they could do so. Even Sands did well on the right side. That worked for about two-thirds of the game.
They also continued to have solid opportunities to score, including a great chance by Nicolás Fernández Mercau in the 23rd minute. The Argentine broke a few defenders' feet to move around them to take his shot. Alas, it went right to goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos.
Ojeda also remained a threat as the match progressed. The other Argentine’s runs on the right side put him in a position to send the ball into the box.
Eventually, that consistency paid off again. This time, Ojeda recognized that Andrés Perea was making a run into the box in the 56th minute. He put the ball into the midfielder’s path, who powered it beyond Hoyos, leaving the keeper unable to do anything to stop it.
Notably, the home side did not go away quietly. After the goal, they increased the pressure on Romero and the backline. Martins had to step up as the captain and center-back. He had two critical clearances and an interception between the 59th and 65th minutes, where each moment could have led to shots on target.
Once again, a mistake led to the match being tied. Once again, NYCFC, who played extremely well up to Perea’s goal, had a drop-off in their play.
That drop-off continued, and for everyone who has watched the Boys in Blue, the mood about the game became spookily familiar. That feeling that all three points would be lost rose creepily in the air.
It did not help that substitutes Luighi and Kevin O’Toole failed to make a difference when they came on. Arguably, Luighi was not good at all, and it did not help that he came on for Bénie Traoré, who continued his terrible start to his Major League Soccer career.
In the end, it was somewhat lucky that the game ended in a draw. But it was another disappointment, and NYCFC continues to falter in their 2026 season.
