The New York City Football Club has struggled in the first leg of a 4 game road trip, falling to Charlotte FC 2-0 in a match that saw the team continue to struggle on the road in North Carolina. NYCFC, who has now gone without a point in 4 matches to Charlotte, fell behind just 14 minutes in after a defensive lapse and the question of offside lead to the team falling behind early. Per head coach Pascal Jansen – “It’s a moment where our defensive shape allows them to attack a corridor on our right side, which was something that shouldn’t be happening in that moment, but we make up for it. Everybody realizes we have to close down the spaces in defense, and once we’re back in our structure, they surprised us with a deep run in the corridor again. There was no communication between a few guys in that moment, which allowed them to enter the box and finish us off. It was an unfortunate moment, because it’s something that we normally control quite well, but today it hurt us [and led us to] go behind [in the game].”
Agustin Ojeda added – “No, the truth is it’s disappointing because of the loss, but we can take away a positive note in that during the first 30 minutes of the second half, we were able to control the game. I think that’s something we can take with us, but obviously, we are left with a bitter taste. Nobody likes to lose. Especially when we knew we might have had a chance to tie it or even win this match [against Charlotte FC], which was very important for us.”
The issues this season also continue on the road, as the club now drops to 1-5-1 playing away from New York City. With 3 matches on the road inside the next 10 days this doesn’t bode well for the club. Next up is a match on the road against Orlando City SC on Wednesday 7/17.
