New York City Football Club fell to defeat at the hands of New England Revolution on Sunday.
Here are Five Points from the match in Massachusetts…
Final Third Frustration
As Interim Head Coach Nick Cushing noted after the game, the Boys in Blue had more than enough chances to win, never mind suffer a 3-0 reverse.
The Boys in Blue dominated 64.5% of possession and crafted 17 attempts to the hosts’ eight but unlike their opponents, could not apply the crucial finishes, and also found goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic in inspired form.
It was pleasing to see the number of opportunities created but the end product proved unfortunately elusive, while the home side were ruthlessly clinical.
Changes
Given the injury situation and heavy fixture schedule, the starting XI was shuffled once more with four changes made to the side that faced D.C. United on Wednesday.
With Anton Tinnerholm an unfortunate addition to the injury list and other players feeling the effects of these tight turnarounds, the backroom staff needed to manage players' minutes to ensure the best chance of keeping the team as fit and fresh as possible for the final stretch.
The game at Gillette Stadium also saw a tactical switch of the formation to a more offensive system, which succeeded in increasing New York's attacking threat, and while he admitted to feeling disappointment for the defensive lapses, Cushing maintained he has full belief in the quality of his squad to spark an upturn in fortunes.
Bright Future
The night yielded a major positive for the Club with two NYCFC II graduates named on the bench: Samuel Owusu and Stephen Turnbull.
Owusu was introduced for the final ten minutes for his MLS debut, while Turnbull was included in the matchday squad for the first time, having signed on loan on a Short-Term Contract.
The Head Coach has long held a reputation for instilling trust into young players with the belief that if you are good enough, you are old enough and Owusu enjoyed a positive cameo, registering a 100% accuracy with his 14 passes.
Home Comforts
Once again, the team has little time to dwell on things with another three-game week.
The squad welcome FC Cincinnati to Citi Field on Wednesday night, looking to make a welcome return to winning ways back on home soil in New York.
The team have enjoyed some positive results at the stadium and are looking forward to the tonic of being back in familiar territory in front of their own fans, eager to make home advantage count to clinch three points.
Reinforcements
Wednesday's game could also see some key names make their long-awaited returns to action.
Alex Callens, Keaton Parks, Thiago Martins, and Tinnerholm may be fit to feature in the coming days or weeks, which would prove a major boost at a pivotal time of the season and perhaps hold the key to setting the season back on track.
Cushing will deliver a squad update in his press conference on Tuesday afternoon, as he previews the midweek fixture.
