James Sands couldn't have picked a better time for his first MLS goal.
After 117 appearances and almost 10,000 career minutes, the New York City FC homegrown finally opened his account, rising to nod home a 95th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The dramatic finish gave NYCFC a hard-earned point against the Supporters' Shield frontrunners, earning Energy Moment of the Matchday presented by Celsius honors for Matchday 34.
"It was last minute, so we threw numbers in the box, and I took a chance with my run in the box, and I was lucky that the ball was very good and then I finished it," Sands said postgame. "I don't score often, but it's nice to have this one. I think it’ll mean a lot to our team.”
The point keeps NYCFC in striking distance of a top-four spot in the East, with their 41 points (11W-11L-8D record) leaving them three shy of the fourth-place New York Red Bulls. The Hudson River Derby rivals meet Saturday at Red Bull Arena with heavy postseason implications (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
“It's really important for us and [Sands] should be really proud," said head coach Nick Cushing. "He's a homegrown. He is our player. He is somebody that, this year, he's really shown his quality.
"If you look at data and the statistics of his game, he wins the most tackles, the most duels and he regains the most balls in MLS and that is a huge thing to have on your team."
