New York City FC enters Sunday’s matchup against the New England Revolution searching for a response, and both head coach Pascal Jansen and defender Kevin O’Toole made it clear that improvement alone will not be enough.
NYCFC showed encouraging signs in its recent loss to FC Cincinnati, particularly after a disappointing second half against Philadelphia. Jansen acknowledged that the performance was much closer to what he expected from his side, but pointed to missed opportunities as a major reason the improved effort did not translate into points.
“The main message from the Cincy game is you have to make sure that you bury the moments that you get and create in order to take full control of these games,” Jansen said.
After conceding early, NYCFC responded and gained greater control as the match progressed. Jansen believes the club had opportunities to take command but lacked the finishing touch necessary to do so.
Jansen also discussed newcomers Luighi and Benny Traoré, expressing satisfaction with their early contributions while acknowledging both are still adapting. He praised Luighi’s ability to play with his back to goal, combine with teammates and make runs behind the defense, while highlighting Benny’s speed, agility and one-on-one ability.
The larger concern, however, remains consistency.
Jansen revealed that difficult conversations followed the Philadelphia loss, although he kept the specifics inside the locker room. He said issues that surfaced during Leagues Cup and subsequent MLS matches needed to be addressed, particularly after an “unexplainable” second-half performance against Philadelphia.
O’Toole offered additional insight into those conversations.
According to the defender, players were challenged to “look inward” and determine individually what they could do to improve the collective. While O’Toole saw better intensity and buy-in against Cincinnati, he stressed that simply playing better was not enough.
NYCFC has now lost four consecutive matches, leaving little time to dwell on its struggles.
“There’s too little time to get bogged down and feel sorry for ourselves,” O’Toole said. “We’ve got another game on Sunday, a really important game against the team that’s ahead of us in the table.”
Another focus is NYCFC’s vulnerability late in matches. O’Toole emphasized remaining mentally engaged for the entire 90-plus minutes, saying communication and awareness must increase as matches enter their closing stages. He specifically pointed to greater communication across the back line and midfield when NYCFC is protecting a result. At the other end, both player and coach recognize the value of finding the decisive goal. O’Toole said NYCFC had chances in Cincinnati to extend its advantage but could not deliver the “killer goal” that might have changed the outcome.
For O’Toole personally, there are positive signs. He said his fitness continues to improve following surgery and that the physical issues he experienced beforehand are feeling considerably better. He also remains comfortable shifting into midfield when needed, giving Jansen another tactical option.
Now the task is turning those individual and collective improvements into points.
Against New England, NYCFC has an immediate opportunity to demonstrate that the difficult conversations inside the locker room have produced more than just a better performance.
