There’s no place like home. You’ve undoubtedly heard the saying, and for NYCFC, they’re finally back at home, and good grief, they need to be playing in front of friendly home crowds right now.
With the likes of the Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati, and the New England Revolution coming to town, the Pigeons are facing down the top-flight teams from the Eastern Conference in consecutive order.
Where does NYCFC stand right now?
Currently, the Pigeons aren’t in a desirable place as they sit in the tenth spot in the Eastern Conference. While the early season hasn’t been abysmal, this squad needs to start winning- and fast. With a 4-5-4 record and 16 total points, NYCFC desperately needs to start picking up points with every match. While concluding their last road trip, the Pigeons only picked up exactly one point in four matches out of a possible 12 points. Losing close matches by slim score margins even hurts worse when your squad drops 1-0 matches and cannot find a way to score goals (NYCFC has a -1 goal differential with 15 goals scored as opposed to 16 goals conceded this season.)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – MAY 10: Santiago Rodriguez #10 of New York City FC plays during a U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 soccer match against FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on May 10, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)NYCFC is Finally Back at Home.
So far this season, NYCFC has played as though they’re really two squads. At home, the Pigeons are 4-0-1 and are one of the most dominant franchises in Major League Soccer. However, NYCFC seems to lose its way on the road and has a dismal 0-5-3 record which means they’ve amassed a total of three points in eight road matches. Nobody expects a team to dominate on the road but leaving behind points from five losses already has NYCFC on the outside looking in the MLS playoff picture before Memorial Day.
NYCFC needs to find themselves on the attack and put goals in the net, plain and simple. Giving up more goals than you’ve scored means either (1) your defense is leaking on the backline or (2) your offense doesn’t understand how to put the round ball into the big iron rectangle on the other end of the pitch.
For NYCFC, it’s been a combination of both, so excuses are wearing thin at this point. For head coach Nick Cushing, it’s time to put together a lineup that can win consistently on the home and the road, or his office chair may start giving off a really warm glow to it very soon.
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