SEATTLE—Getting a result in their Sunday afternoon matchup with the Seattle Sounders was always going to be a tall order for New York City FC, even in the midst of a sterling 2018 campaign that has seen them take 43 points from 22 matches.
NYC came into Sunday’s contest on a short turnaround, having just played a road match on Thursday at Orlando City – a fixture they won 2-0. That was followed by a cross-country jaunt from Orlando to Seattle that covers the second-most distance of any MLS road trip.
Throw in the absences of injured star David Villa and suspended midfielder Alexander Ring (yellow card accumulation), and NYC ultimately couldn’t overcome all those hurdles, falling 3-1 to Seattle courtesy of goals from Cristian Roldan, Gustav Svensson and Harry Shipp.
“I’m very proud of my players because it is not easy to [travel],” said NYCFC head coach Domenec Torrent after the match. “I don’t have to make an excuse about that, it’s a fact. At 2 p.m., it was very, very hot. After the long trip, six hours, and then three hours of jet lag … But I am very proud, especially for the effort of our players. It’s not easy to play here after three days and the long trip.”
Even taking into account the obstacles, Torrent said he was pleased with how his side performed at the outset of the contest. NYC had 56 percent possession in the first half and would have taken an early lead if a 22nd-minute free kick from star midfielder Maxi Moralez had found the net instead of ringing off the crossbar.
They also put themselves in position to salvage a draw after falling behind 2-0, when forward Jesus Medina cut the lead in half with a point-blank finish in the 68th minute before Shipp’s 86th-minute tally sealed the final.
“We played well the first half. We played compact,” Torrent said. “They had problems in-between lines that they don’t find the players who play inside because we played really well. We defended well.”
Added goalkeeper Sean Johnson: “We were unlucky not to put another one in earlier in the first half. I think the game would have changed a lot for us but we were chasing a bit after the first goal, in second (half) we were back in the game, and then they iced it with the third. It is tough, but that is the game of soccer.”
For NYC, the next order of business is a red-eye flight back to New York before a matchup with another Cascadia opponent – this time the Vancouver Whitecaps, in the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium next Saturday.
“I just look to get back to New York, take a couple days, get guys back to full health and get the travel out of the legs and get ready to go next Saturday,” Johnson said. “I am still digesting this past one. We will probably start preparing for Vancouver once we get back in. But for now I am just kind of analyzing the past few games, and then get back to it and then preparing for Vancouver.”
