New York City FC Shore up the Midfield

It was a brisk 36 degrees when New York City Football Club kicked off their home opener ten years to the day as the first game the club ever played in MLS. They even faced the same opponent, Orlando City, and, in the end, NYCFC literally came out ahead as Hannes Wolf headed the ball in the back of the net giving the home squad the lead for good.

New York City came to play and dominated possession in the first half 63 to 37 percent but were ineffecting in the final ball as none of their seven shots really tested Pedro Gallese in net. It took nearly two thirds of the match for New York City to find the break through. Seventeen-year old Jonny Shore picked off the ball in the midfield and passed it forward to Maxi Moralez. Moralez sent a shot past Gallese but it bounced off the post right into the oncoming run of Alonso Martinez who deftly put it home. Yankee stadium erupted with cheers as the club got their first home goal of the season.

That jubilation lasted for just ten minutes as Luis Murriell punished New York City on a beak away and sent the ball sizzling past Matt Freese to level the score. New York City was not to be denied though and responded just two minutes later as Gallese saved a shot from Martinez but left it bounce back into the feet of Jullian Fernandez. Fernandez clevely chipped the ball up and back into the box onto the head of Wolf who was racing towards goal. It was the first goal for Wolf since the middle of last season and New York City hope it is a sign of big things to come for Wolf under the new coach, Pascal Jansen. Wolf had originally been left out of the starting line up but was a last minute replacement after Agustin Ojeda was late to the locker room pregame.

Hannes Wolf heads it home in the 71 minute to put NYCFC ahead for good

Ultimately though, it was the seventeen-year old who made his mark on the night. Homegrown Jonny Shore had stared some preseason games and was a let substitute in the Miami match but on Saturday he not only started but played the full match and was named man of the match. It was a very promising start for the young player and for New York City who are short handed in the midfield with the departure of Santi Rodriguez preseason.

After the match Jansen had this to say about Shore’s perfomance. “He’s an interesting character. I met him for the first time when I started coaching here, and he was one of the youngsters who was with us during the preseason camp. Let me make one thing really clear, the fact that he started today, and played against Inter Miami is something he earned by competing with the guys during training sessions. I think he’s a very clever kid and very smart on the ball. He sees a lot of situations, he’s aware of his surroundings in midfield, and he’s skillful in short passes, making sure he keeps a good rhythm and control in the middle of the pitch. Those are a few aspects I look for in the way I want my team to play. Seeing him out there today, as if he’s been with one of the guys for the past four seasons, was great to see. There’s still a lot to improve, not just for Jonny [Shore], but for the rest of the team.”

Jonny Shore and Keaton Parks in the midfield

Shore had grown up watching New York City as he came through their academy system. He was happy to speak with the media about it after the match. “I watched [Justin Haak and Keaton Parks] growing up, so it’s really cool to play with them, and they always help me, keep pushing me and always give me advice. [Me and Keaton] built a pretty good relationship over preseason; he’s really helpful. Obviously he has a lot of experience, so I think it helps a lot playing with someone like him.”

To have a player like Shore be one of the difference makers in the match truly is a testament to the ten years the club has been developing players. Players like Haak who came up through the academy themselves are now examples for players like Shore who are breaking into the first team. This is a good legacy and good result for the club.

You can tell that the team is having fun again playing for the new coach and in a new system. After the game Mitja Ilenic told me he felt like he had been hiding for the past couple of years and was now being encouraged to be more on the ball and to move forward more. He said the style reflected more of the style he was used to playing when he was back in Europe and that he was really enjoying his time with Jansen.

All in all the club has had a decent start to the season considering all the travel in the first two games between Miami and Los Angeles. This week the team can stay at home and train for the match against New England on Saturday. Keaton Parks spoke about the importance of being home again. “I think a big factor was being back home at Yankee Stadium. We have a lot of energy, and we need to be aggressive, so we came out flying. It’s easy to pin a team down and take away their confidence early, and I think we did just that tonight. Orlando had some early shots, but nothing that felt dangerous. I think we took control of the game early. We gave them a goal, but in the end, we won the game. I think we deserved it tonight, so that was good.”

The team certainly seems to have stepped up the energy and passion under the new coach and are over achieving considering the roster they have been left with after the departures of Sand and Rodriguez in the off season. With the addition of soem new players that David Lee and Jansen have hinted at and the rise of players like Shore the season could end up “flying” indeed.