NYCFC Faces Gridlock In DC

 

NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese looks on. Photo provided by NYCFC.

If you're going to watch a New York City Football Club game this season, you have to figure there will be a clean sheet.

On Wednesday night in the nation's capital, NYCFC played to a 0-0 draw against DC United.

This was the sixth straight MLS game for NYCFC in which they or their opponent was shutout. Within this stretch, NYCFC has now notched four of the shutouts in MLS games, while they were kept off the board on April 19 in New England, May 10 against Montreal, and in this one. This technically was their seventh overall involving a shutout, as they were blanked this past Wednesday in the US Open Cup when they lost 1-0 to USL side Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

Interestingly, NYCFC has notched five clean sheets overall this season, while also being kept off the board five times. This was the seventh match this season that entered halftime in a scoreless draw,

NYCFC had a distinct possession advantage in this one, as they did against Montreal, but a big difference was that they made the most of it. They held the ball for 55.2 percent of the game, and poured in 17 shots, with five on net, while also earning nine corner kicks.

DC United had just five shots, and only two on target.

This was NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese's fifth clean sheet of the season. He now has a 1-1-2 record against DC United, with two shutouts in his career against them.

NYCFC midfielder Maxi Moralez became the oldest player in team history to start in each of their first 13 matches in a season. He is currently 38 years and 72 days old.

NYCFC is now 5-3-5, with 18 points, and they are in ninth place, a tick behind the New York Red Bulls, who have the exact same record but must hold a tiebreaker. The Red Bulls lost, 2-1, in Nashville, on Wednesday night.

The two teams will compete in the first of this season's Hudson River Derby matches this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Citi Field.

Freese said of what NYCFC can take away from this performance into the Derby, "I think certainly we picked it back up from where were against CF Montreal (this past Saturday) - that was clearly not our best game, with the ball and without the ball. We acted a little bit more like ourselves today: passing the ball, zipping it around on the floor, hitting them behind, and dangerous set pieces. So, just in general, we played like ourselves. When we do that consistently, it leads to good things. So, I think it was good - leading into the Hudson River Derby - that we had a performance like this. Hopefully we finish it off on Saturday."

NYCFC Head Coach Pascal Jansen said of the match, "I just told the guys that, looking at our past week - with a good game against FC Cincinnati (at Citi Field on May 4), a terrible (U.S. Open Cup) game in Pittsburgh (last Wednesday), and a very weak performance against CF Montreal - we had a decent performance today. We were very forward-minded, attacking-minded. We created loads of opportunities to score the goals we needed to win this game. So, overall, I'm satisfied - but not all the way - because we should have won this away game. That's for sure."