Friday evening at Yankee Stadium, NYCFC scored three goals in the first half. They were home and in their comfort zone, scored the most goals in the first half for a team in the MLS, and they secured an important 4-2 win over Orlando.
Important because NYCFC returned to the Bronx after a road trip of misery where they lost two shutouts. Certainly, this is a team that plays well at home in front of their home fans at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in Queens. They only have one home game in July, next Wednesday evening at Citi Field and NYCFC seeks to win that one also.
Coach Nick Cushing reiterated again that his team loves playing in front of the home fans. Over 21,000 welcomed NYCFC home and their team responded scoring those three goals in the first half. Cushing said his team would be more aggressive and they were from the opening whistle.
Home fans and those that support NYCFC are in every play. They cheer, rant, stand, and rarely take that visit to the concession stands. They are the extra man on the pitch and the players are aware of their importance, no secret as to why NYCFC (10-8-2, 32 points) has only lost two of their ten games at home to Colorado and Columbus.
In reality, though, is that home crowd significant? The coach and players always emphasize they are disappointed when they sustain a loss on home turf, allowing enough room to say next time there will be a win and three more points in the Eastern Conference standings.
“We love playing here,” said Cushing. “We love playing in front of our fans. The stadium and the home advantage are one thing, but ultimately, it’s about playing in front of our fans and our people. When we play in front of our people and they’re behind us, we want to put a show on. We want to put a performance on for them because that’s our responsibility.”
They put on a show, a team that put an ugly road trip in the past and compiled three more points. Santiago Rodriquez scored early, his eighth goal in the 15th minute. Hannes Wolf and Augustin Ojeda scored eight minutes apart in 15 minutes of stoppage time when NYCFC’s Malachi Jones collided with Orlando keeper Mason Stajduhar in the 29th minute, an ugly scene that silenced the crowd.
It was also an impressive night for Tayvon Gray, a career high two assists for a homegrown player from the Bronx. The first assist helped Wolf get to the net, and another with a cross allowing Ojeda to score his second goal in as many games at Yankee Stadium.
Credit: NYCFC
“It’s very important,” said Gray about the assists. “It sealed the first half for us. Home advantage is most important in any sport you play. We have a winning cue that nobody else has.”
They cheered for Gray, who has now become an important part of the starting unit for NYCFC, this after sustaining numerous injuries in his two years since signing with the team, also with a contract extension for 2025.
“Tayvon is an exceptional game player, and what I mean by that is that his mentality is strong,” said Cushing. “He can come up against Orlando’s wingers, who are top in this league. The one area we’ve consistently spoken to him about is whether he can add goals and assists to his game.”
Cushing made a point to say that Gray had two important moments with the assists and improving to help NYCFC at a time in their schedule of the next month with only one game at home.
But it is this loyal fan base and why NYCFC players anticipate their return to Yankee Stadium as they await their new multi-million dollar retro stadium, set to open in 2027 across the street from Citi Field. For now, Yankee Stadium is home and goals are being scored along with the wins in their quest to obtain their second MLS Cup.in franchise history.
And the fan support is always the constant talk among players at their practice facility, on the road trips, and in the locker room.
“Really happy to have fans like this,” Ojeda said. “The last two games away were tough for us. Always really happy we have fans like this. They are important to us and we try and get the win. Looking forward to keep playing and getting better. Look to get the three points home or away.”
And that is the significance of winning at home because NYCFC plays better in front of their followers. To win a championship in this league, in any sport, the wins need to also come on the road. Though this NYCFC squad believes they will get over the hump.
“We need to make sure that we’re ready as we understand the consistency and the mentality to win during the games,” said defender Thiago Martins.
But nothing is like home sweet home at Yankee Stadium. NYCFC has that fan base and know what awaits them in the next month on the road.
Rich Mancuso: X (Formerly Twitter) @Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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