Following an overall solid first career start, James Sands might have established himself as the future face of the club.
At least, head coach Domènec Torrent believes that he’s seen enough to assign the 18-year-old midfielder that title.
“Jimmy is our future here, and today we found a No. 6 for next year,” Torrent told reporters after Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the New England Revolution at Yankee Stadium. “[The loss] was a shame for Jimmy. He deserved to win the game because he played really, really well. For now, I can say that he plays the next game.”
Sands — who just returned from a quick loan stint at Louisville City FC of the United Soccer League, where he made three starts and tallied one assist — held his own defensively Wednesday night. He just missed out on his first career MLS goal on a header off a cross that went wide.
“I thought I did well,” Sands said. “Obviously, the result wasn’t great, but you have to start somewhere, and there’s stuff I can take away from this. You just have to take it in stride. You can’t wait around forever. You’ve got to play eventually.”
“It makes me happy to hear that he has confidence,” Sands said of Torrent’s praise. “But I don’t want to stop working. I think I can do a lot better.”
The loss extended NYCFC’s winless streak to four matches, with just one win in their last seven. The downward spiral is similar to the winless streak the team suffered through toward the end of last year, when they closed the regular season winning just one of the last five matches entering the playoffs.
The Blues will look to end the skid Saturday against visiting D.C. United in the Bronx.
