New York City FC was having trouble finishing — until they didn’t.
With a string of poor results worsened with numerous players missing because of international obligations, NYCFC needed just five minutes to make up for a match of multiple missed opportunities — thanks to the efforts of two defenders — and defeat the Philadelphia Union, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
In the previous five games, NYCFC had earned just five points. For the first half Saturday, it looked like their struggles wouldn’t end. NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira credited Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake, whose saves frustrated scorers like David Villa and Maxi Moralez.
“If you look at the saves he had, he was fantastic today,” Vieira said of Blake, who blocked seven shots. “He kept his team in the game and made it a little difficult for us.”
Difficult it was. If it weren’t for Vieira’s three substitutes, who gave NYCFC, in Vieira’s words, a “soufflé” — French for a second wind — their finishing woes might not have been corrected.
The most glaring miss came in the 12th minute, when Moralez was all alone on a breakaway, but skied one over the bar and into the stands. Later in the first half, Alex Ring rocketed one off the post before it fell in front of the 6-yard box for Villa, whose shot was saved.
By the end of the first half, Blake had two saves and NYCFC had no goals. With NYCFC struggling to find goal, Philadelphia (16 points) went ahead when New York-born forward Fafa Picault found space and curled one past NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson, whose five saves provided just enough life for NYCFC.
When everything looked bleak, from Villa curling one off the crossbar to a miss hit from seven yards right at Blake in the 74th minute, it was a string of substitutes and NYCFC center backs — Maxime Chanot and Alex Callens — who put NYCFC on top.
“I’m really happy for Maxime [Chanot] and Alex [Callens] to score those goals because lately, the goals that we’ve conceded, they take it a little bit personal,” Vieira said.
Off a flying corner kick, Chanot jumped high and headed the ball into net in the 80th minute. It was the first goal by an NYCFC defender since Jefferson Mena scored last September against the Chicago Fire.
“When people score goals, we feel bad as defenders because we have to keep the clean sheet,” Chanot said about the defense allowing nine goals in the previous six games. “I think the best answer is to score goals and to arrange the team in a good way for the next few games.”
Another goal came five minutes later, when off another corner, Callens side-tapped Blake’s initial save into goal. Vieira credited Callens’ toughness after he continued playing despite suffering a shoulder injury earlier in the match.
Overall, Vieira said he was pleased with Saturday’s result.
“I was really proud of was when we went 1-nil down, we kept playing wide, kept playing the ball on the floor, we kept to our philosophy,” Vieira said.
Heading into the international break, NYCFC (24 points) sit tied for second in the Eastern Conference. Their next match is against the Red Bulls on June 14 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup.