New York City FC recorded a 1-1 draw against Atlanta United on Saturday.
Santiago Rodríguez's penalty was canceled out by a header from Jamal Thiaré in the second half.
Here are Five Points from Citi Field.
Keep Going
“The best number nines keep putting themselves in those positions,” Nick Cushing said.
Mounsef Bakrar did everything but find the net on Saturday against Atlanta United. The forward has never shied away from hard work since he arrived in the Five Boroughs and that has made him a major asset to New York City FC.
Although he is still awaiting his first goal this season, he is consistently finding himself in dangerous positions. The idea of a striker suffering a goal drought is nothing new – Cushing highlighted Taty Castellanos enduring similar in 2021 – but it is so often about how the player responds to that struggle that defines them.
Bakrar’s determination and resilience have been admirable to watch and he will undeniably be rewarded with goals soon if he can maintain the habit of getting into those dangerous spots.
Limit Almada
In the absence of Giorgos Giakoumakis the spotlight was firmly on Thiago Almada.
The World Cup winner is a classic number ten that seeks to influence the game with goals and assists. Perhaps unsurprisingly that saw Almada lead Atlanta for shots taken on Saturday night with five.
New York City were able to stifle the attacker and limit his influence in the final third. When he was able to fashion a good chance to scorel, there stood in his way was goalkeeper Matt Freese. City can take positives from the fact they limited Almada and were one moment away from recording a big 1-0 victory.
Goldfish
A lesson from Ted Lasso could be helpful for New York City FC this week.
The coach of Richmond FC encourages one of his players to be ‘like a goldfish’ and try to forget disappointment quickly.
City were eager to kick off their five-game home stretch with a win, and on the balance of play, they deserved that. As Keaton Parks confirmed after the game, the group now has to put this behind them and move on to the next game.
“We have a good team it’s as simple as that,” he said. “We’re struggling to get results right now and that is something we need to work on – that’s the game of football – but we have a good team and we know it.
“It’s an exciting opportunity. Everyone knows we’ve had a frustrating streak of games but I think we’ve bounced back each week. We come out and play a hard game. Nobody is hanging their heads. We’re going to come out next week and try to get a win.
“We have to be confident in ourselves, trust in the process, and our own abilities.”
Quick Strike
New York City FC were undone by one moment containing just two passes.
Nick Cushing was pleased with how City managed to limit Atlanta’s short passing game, so it was no surprise their goal arrived via a more direct approach.
Brad Guzan’s long kick found Edwin Mosquera in space and his dangerous delivery caught out the City backline. Overall, City outshot their opponents and because of that lessons will be learned from the goal that allowed Atlanta to leave the Five Boroughs with a point.
Don’t Lose
New York City were eager to claim three points on Saturday and while they may not have won they also did not lose.
Both players and staff know the importance of claiming every point possible as they chase a spot in the playoffs. The team is now unbeaten in two games and while neither outing delivered the much coveted three points, it does help establish momentum as an unbeaten team.
If you can’t win then make sure you don’t lose, and City did just that.
