New York City FC (NYCFC) defeated Mexican giants Tigres U.A.N.L. by a score of 2-1 Tuesday night in a Leagues Cup Round of 16 match played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.
Going up against a favored Tigres team known as one of the best in Mexico, as they currently sit third in Liga MX on goal difference alone, inspiration came from familiar places for NYCFC with goals from Santiago Rodriguez and Maxi Moralez.
Despite being underdogs, it was NYCFC who came out as the aggressor in the first half. The team’s best player, Rodriguez, set the tone in a game worth a few nerves, often picking the ball up deep and dribbling his way into enemy territory. Striker Alonso Martinez saw a few chances fall to him early, forcing blocks from the Tigres defense and a save from goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman after a header from a Rodriguez cross. Rodrigues was at the heart of everything in the first half.
However, it was Tigres who opened the scoring, doing so against the run of play. The goal was a header scored by the center-back and captain Guido Pizarro, getting on the end of an inswinging Rafael De Souza cross.
NYCFC looked briefly shocked after giving up a goal that came seemingly out of nowhere, as they uncharacteristically gave the ball away immediately from the following kickoff. In those nervous moments, teams turn to experienced players. So, who better than NYCFC legend Maxi Moralez to score the equalizer less than two minutes after the team went behind? Indecision by the Tigres back line led to confusion, and Moralez pounced on a loose touch from a Tigres defender, drove into the box, and fired a shot across goal into the bottom left corner. A real veteran moment from Moralez.
The rest of the first half saw a fairly even split of chances. More brilliance from Rodriguez led to more fouls committed by Tigres. The game adopted more and more physicality as it went on.
As the hard challenges persisted, a foul called on NYCFC worked in their favor. Tigres carelessly gave the ball away in the 65th minute trying to take a free kick quickly. Santi Rodriguez pounced on it, drove toward the Tigres box, played a give-and-go with Moralez, and slammed the ball home with his left foot. A deserved goal for the best player in the game on the night. Great players punish opponents’ mistakes. Manager Nick Cushing gushed over the performances of Rodriguez and Moralez after the game, saying, “It was a masterclass from the two number 10s we played tonight…you have to be a really special player to relish and thrive in these moments.”
To counter, Tigres brought on their club legend and all-time leading goal-scorer: Frenchman Andre-Pierre Gignac. The boys in blue did well to keep him from harming them. The extremely outspoken (mostly pro-Tigres crowd) grew more and more restless. Multiple warnings were issued by stadium officials against discriminatory chants from the crowd.
Amidst the second-half chaos, after eight long minutes of stoppage time, NYCFC prevailed. Despite playing not far from home, they were up against a hostile crowd, went down a goal against a favored team, and still came out on top. Incredible emotional scenes at the final whistle. Cushing applauded his team’s desire saying “Winning teams are hungry teams…to keep a winning team hungry is the most difficult thing in sports.” NYCFC advances to play the Columbus Crew on Saturday in the quarterfinals.
