New York City FC 3 – 1 Nashville SC
Harrison, New Jersey (Sunday, October 6, 2024) — New York City FC recorded a big 3-1 win against Nashville SC on Sunday afternoon. City enjoyed a dream start to the afternoon when Santiago Rodríguez scored after just 17 seconds. Rodríguez would find a second goal in the 19th minute after an inch-perfect cross from Hannes Wolf. It would be three for City a few minutes later after Alonso Martínez bundled the ball across the line from a corner. Nashville found the net in the 58th minute through Hany Mukhtar. That would be the last goal of the game and helped confirm a 3-1 result for New York City FC.
Midfielder Santiago Rodríguez scored a goal in 17 seconds, the fastest goal for New York City FC in the regular season and in club history in MLS.
Rodríguez’s goal is also the tenth fastest goal in MLS history dating back to 2000.
Forward Alonso Martínez scored New York City FC’s 600th goal in all competitions when scored in the 21st minute to make the score 3-1.
New York has won three consecutive matches in MLS play for the first time since a span of five consecutive wins spanning from May 11 to May 31, 2024.
New York City FC has scored 11 goals in the first 15 minutes of the first half, only St. Louis City (12) has scored more in MLS play this season.
New York has scored 30 first-half goals in 33 games, only Inter Miami (31) have scored more in the MLS this season.
Currently, New York City FC has scored two or more goals in the first half six times this season.
New York City are unbeaten in their last 7 MLS matches when leading at half-time (five wins, two draws) dating back to June 14, 2024, against the Columbus Crew (3-2 loss).
New York City FC has a record of 8-2-3 (W-L-D) when leading at half-time in MLS this season.
New York City have avoided defeat in their last four matches when scoring first in the MLS, since a 2-4 loss to Columbus Crew on August 31, 2024.
New York City holds a record of 12-4-3 when scoring the opening goal in the MLS this season.
New York has a record of 2-3-1 (W-L-D) against Nashville SC, scoring six goals and conceding eight.
Despite trailing in regular-season history, the ‘Boys in Blue’ are undefeated against Nashville at home, with two wins and one draw.
Overall, this season, New York has a record of 10-4-3 (W-L-D) at home in MLS play, scoring 35 goals and conceding 25.
At Red Bull Arena, New York is currently 2-0-0 when hosting, scoring six and conceding three goals in MLS play this season.
Of the 17 games played at home this season, New York has scored at least one goal in 16 games, with a record of 10-3-3 in those games.
New York City FC scored two or more goals in 12 matches this season, going 10-1-1 (W-L-D) in those games.
Midfielder Santiago Rodríguez scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season.
Rodríguez has scored two goals in a game for the first time since April 22, 2023, against FC Dallas.
Rodríguez has now scored the opening goal in seven MLS matches this season.
Rodríguez has goal contributions in his last 3 games that he has featured in MLS play (3 goals, 2 assists).
Forward Alonso Martínez has scored his 16th goal in MLS this season, more than any other New York City FC player.
Martínez has scored in three consecutive games in MLS.
Martínez scored New York City FC’s 600th goal in all competitions.
Midfielder Hannes Wolf has assisted his eighth goal in MLS play this season.
SCORING SUMMARY
1’- NYC– Santiago Rodríguez [10]
Scored with a right-footed shot from the center of the box with an xG of 37% to the bottom left corner.
18’ – NYC – Santiago Rodríguez [10]
Scored with a left-footed shot from the center of the box with an xG of 38% to the middle left zone. Assisted by Hannes Wolf [17].
21’ – NYC – Alonso Martínez [16]
58’ – NSH – Hany Mukhtar [10]
Scored with a right-footed shot from the central position outside the box with an xG of 5% to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jacob Shaffelburg [14].
NSH
Yellow Cards (2)
45+2’ – [25] Walker Zimmerman – Bad Foul
60’ – [15] Patrick Yazbek – Bad Foul
Red Cards (0)
MATCH REC
New York City FC were back in action on Sunday afternoon as they hosted Nashville SC.
Head Coach Nick Cushing made three changes to the side that beat FC Cincinnati 3-2 midweek, as Birk Risa, Tayvon Gray, and Keaton Parks replaced James Sands, Mitja Ilenič, and Andrés Perea.
City were eager to make it three wins in a row with a victory over Nashville, and their efforts were dealt a sizable boost when Santiago Rodríguez gave City the lead after 17 seconds.
The Uruguayan forward was able to find space on the left side of the box, and after seeing his initial effort blocked he pounced on the loose ball and fired it past Joe Willis.
City set about trying to find a second goal as quickly as possible and Justin Haak came close with a vicious drive from just outside the box that only narrowly missed the target.
Meanwhile, Nashville registered their first look at goal in the 8th minute through Hany Muhktar. The forward ran onto a loose ball inside the area but saw his first effort blocked before a follow-up attempt flew well wide of the goal.
The visitors had seen their playoff hopes end following results elsewhere on Saturday, but that did not stop them trying to leave Sunday’s game with three points.
They would come within a whisker of an equalizer eleven minutes later when Alex Muyl rattled the crossbar with a drive from just outside the area.
Nashville would come to rue that missed opportunity a minute later after Rodríguez doubled City’s advantage with his 12th league goal of the season.
A goal created and scored by City’s two wingers, Rodríguez’s assured finish came after an inch-perfect low cross to the back post from Hannes Wolf.
Two become three for City in the 21st minute after a dangerous corner flew through Nashville’s penalty area and to the back post where it was bundled over the line by Alonso Martínez.
Nashville were eager to find a route back into the contest and just after the half-hour mark, they were able to reclaim the ball in the final third and get the ball to Sam Surridge in space – the Englishman firing his shot over the bar.
They would follow that up with another chance for Jacob Shaffelburg several minutes later. The Canadian international rode several challenges before shooting just over Freese’s crossbar.
City ended the half back on top, and a dangerous cross from Maxi Moralez in first-half stoppage time had Nashville’s defense scrambling – `Walker Zimmerman the man eventually able to clear it from danger.
The second period saw a slight reversal in momentum as Nashville flew out the blocks in the hopes of getting back into the game.
That start helped Nashville produce several good chances, including a goal ruled out for offside. They would be denied for long, however, and found the net in the 58th minute thanks to a precise long-range strike from Mukhtar.
Nashville were keen to maintain that early momentum, and that meant Freese was called into action in the 68th minute to deny Shaffelburg.
Cushing turned to his bench two minutes later to make a double change. On came Mounsef Bakrar and Andrés Perea in place of Moralez and Martínez.
City’s defensive resolve was being tested and that required Freese to produce a brilliant double save in the 79th minute to deny Walker Zimmerman and Jack Maher from a corner.
First, Freese parried Zimmerman’s header bother smothering Maher’s follow up. The loose ball landed back at Zimmerman, who then fired it over from close range.
Rodríguez, who was on the cusp of a hat-trick, was finding opportunities to test Joe Willis, and a curled effort in the 85th minute forced Nashville’s goalkeeper to make a good save.
A third City change for City would arrive in the 89th minute as Julián Fernández replaced Wolf. A late rally from Nashville was not enough to draw them level with City as the hosts ran out comfortable 3-1 winners on the night.
NEW YORK CITY FC HEAD COACH NICK CUSHING
On the tandem of Santiago Rodríguez and Alonso Martínez over the course of the season…
“A remarkably interesting question. I don’t mind sharing this with the press: we did an in-depth review led by David Lee, our sporting director. This review involved not only myself but all of the sporting staff, and it focused on why we didn’t make the playoffs last year. It’s easy to blame the players or the coach. Deep down, there’s always a reason why you can’t consistently win as a team, and scoring goals was one of those reasons for us. We didn’t score enough goals last year, so we set a target of scoring 55 goals this season. We believed that if we scored 55 goals, we’d be around fourth place, knowing that last year our defensive record was the second-best in the Eastern Conference. I’m proud that we’ve achieved that target. Now, within that goal, there are a lot of layers, right? You need a player who can score a certain number of goals while also having a second player who can do the same. Then, other players must contribute with goals as well. Hannes Wolf has provided a lot of assists, Tayvon Gray has also added assists, and we’ve had goals from Andrés Perea. To have Alonso Martínez score 16 goals this season is incredible for him and for the team. He’s been by far our most clinical player. And then, there’s Santi Rodríguez—he’s our guy. Maxi Moralez, for many years, has been the catalyst of our offensive game and still is today, pulling the strings as our number ten. But now, having Santi Rodríguez alongside him makes our attack even more dangerous for opponents. It gives Alonso Martínez a lot of service and allows our full-backs to get high and wide, contributing to what players like Kevin O’Toole and Tayvon Gray bring. My goal this year was to make us an attacking team, one that can score from every phase of the game. We’ve scored two goals from set plays in the last three weeks, and we continue to improve in that area. I’m pleased with how we’ve evolved into a team that can threaten from multiple aspects of the game.”
On if it was disappointing to not score more goals in the second half, with the goal difference in mind…
“Yes and no. You go 3-0 up, and at some point, they’re going to come back into the game. [Nashville SC] is well-coached by a new coach. They’re playing free. All I heard from their bench was ‘play free’ because they have nothing to play for and nothing to lose. That’s dangerous. I knew at some point they were going to come back into the game, and they’re much improved. They’re a good team. I think it was more about them improving than us taking our foot off the gas. What I do think is we showed that side of us that we have to show in the [FC] Cincinnati game, and that’s a huge positive. We’ll review the game, and of course, we’ll go through it and fix it. We want to carry games, control games more, but to defend the game the way that we did is a positive…To show that real steel, I’ll take that as a positive going into the playoffs.”
NEW YORK CITY FC MIDFIELDER SANTIAGO RODRÍGUEZ
On scoring the fastest goal in club history during MLS Regular Season…
“I’m very happy about that, I didn’t know about that stat. The truth is that I’m really glad to have achieved that. However, more than anything, I’m happy with how we’ve been performing collectively because sometimes it’s been difficult for us to maintain that consistency throughout the matches. So, that’s what makes me the happiest. Obviously, continuing to score goals to help the team is very important, so I’m very happy overall.”
Sobre el buen momento del equipo…
“El equipo está en un momento de gran nivel, venimos jugando muy bien y dominando a todos los rivales. Hoy creo que, en el segundo tiempo, ellos nos dominaron a nosotros, pero, aun así, cuando nos tocó defender, lo hicimos bien. Creo que eso es una clara muestra de que lo que nos sucedía en algunos partidos, cuando quizás nos relajábamos y nos anotaban un gol, lo hemos controlado y mejorado en estos últimos encuentros. Así que eso es un gran avance para todos, y nos sentimos muy felices por ello.”
On the team’s positive momentum…
“The team is at a high level right now; we’ve been playing very well and dominating all our opponents. Today, I think they dominated us in the second half, but even so, when it was our turn to defend, we did it well. I believe this clearly shows that what used to happen to us in some matches, when we might have relaxed and conceded a goal, we’ve now managed to control and improve in these last few games. So, that’s a big step forward for all of us, and we feel very happy about it.”
NEW YORK CITY FC FORWARD ALONSO MARTÍNEZ
On the team’s three goals today, and his contribution to the score…
“I’m very happy. It’s always good to help the team with a goal. Now, I want to try to rest and focus on the next match during the week. I believe we gained valuable points, and now we have to think and focus on the next match [against CF Montréal].”
On the upcoming International FIFA Break…
“I think it’s important to rest now. We had three matches this week, and I believe the team also needs rest to be in its best shape for the playoffs. The team has managed the schedule well this week with the matches, we achieved our goal, and well, the playoffs are coming up now. We will try to keep pushing forward and earn points.”
NEW YORK CITY FC GOALKEEPER MATT FREESE
On if he’s changed his routine to keep up with his performance…
“It’s just the same routine. I’ve had the same routine that I’ve been following for the last 25 years, and with some good performances comes a certain level of expectation, but for me, it’s just the expectation I’ve had for myself since I was six years old and started playing. Nothing changes. I just keep doing my same routine.”
On the team bouncing back after the Philadelphia loss and lessons learned from it…
“We’re a young team, and we’re susceptible to moments and games like that, surprisingly. It’s very important in American sports; it’s not like the rest of the world. Heading into the playoffs is not the only thing that matters, but it really is what matters. Being in form when we get there is crucial. We use that feeling to come together and reset. The other thing is that there were a few unusual mistakes in that type of game, which are one-offs, and it’s unfortunate that they all piled up in the same game, but you can’t let that affect the confidence you have going into the rest of the season.”
