NYCFC 1-2 Chicago Fire: Match Recap

This is the nycfc.com match recap after the Blues' first preseason game against Chicago Fire:

New York City FC kicked-off their preseason campaign with a 2-1 defeat against the Chicago Fire in Orlando on Saturday afternoon. 

The Boys In Blue made a goalscoring start to the game thanks to a mistake from Chicago goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth inside the first minute. The shot-stopper misjudged a routine backpass and saw the ball roll under his foot and into the net.

The game began at a frenetic pace with both sides pressing intensely. That saw the first yellow card of the game awarded to the Fire’s Przemysław Frankowski for a foul on Andres Jasson. 

The youngster was a bright spark for Ronny Deila’s side during the first half, with his direct running a persistent threat. Just before the fifteen-minute mark, The Fire found their way back into the game when a turnover on the halfway line facilitated a counter-attack that was eventually finished off by Robert Beric.

Both sides continued to try and establish a rhythm, and in the 32nd minute, Taty Castellanos found himself with the ball in the left channel after a sweeping counter-attack. He quickly shifted the ball inside and curled an effort just past the right-hand post.

The second half brought a number of changes for both sides, and in the 54th minute, Elliot Collier gave Chicago a 2-1 advantage with a curled effort from the left-hand side. 

NYCFC then introduced a further batch of changes midway through the second half, which saw five of the club’s academy players handed a chance to impress. The game finished 2-1 to Chicago, and next up for NYCFC is a meeting with Orlando City on March 18.