NYCFC Fall 2-0 to New England Revolution Despite Late Push

New York City FC returned to the road Saturday night to face the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. Both sides entered the contest following 1-0 victories, and NYCFC were aiming to build momentum and secure their first road win of the season.

Head coach Pascal Jansen made a single change from the lineup that defeated the Philadelphia Union, inserting Mounsef Bakrar in place of Keaton Parks.

The Revolution wasted no time threatening the visitors, creating their first real chance just three minutes in. Leo Campana ran in behind NYCFC's defense, but Matt Freese did well to smother the shot. Campana was involved again in the 12th minute with another opportunity, only to be denied by a crucial block from Justin Haak.

City responded with an effort of their own in the 16th minute when Alonso Martínez let fly from distance—his shot narrowly missing the post.

Both teams continued to find openings, but the deadlock held firm past the 30-minute mark. The breakthrough finally came just before halftime when Campana's low shot took a heavy deflection off Thiago Martins, looping over Freese and into the net to give New England a 1-0 lead.

At the break, Jansen made a midfield adjustment by bringing on Keaton Parks for Agustín Ojeda. However, things got worse for NYCFC just minutes into the second half. In the 48th minute, Carles Gil delivered a dangerous in-swinging cross that was met by Ignatius Ganago, who poked home from close range to double the lead.

Looking for a spark, City continued to push forward. Both Hannes Wolf and Maxi Moralez registered quick shots on goal, but neither was able to beat Aljaz Ivacic in the Revolution net.

Jansen made a triple substitution just after the hour mark, introducing Andrés Perea, Tayvon Gray, and Julián Fernández for Bakrar, Mitja Ilenić, and Jonathan Shore. The move nearly paid off as Perea rose to meet a cross but sent his header just wide.

City's final substitution came in the 75th minute with Nico Cavallo replacing Kevin O'Toole. The visitors had a few more chances in the closing stages. Martínez created a half-chance for himself in the 85th after picking up a loose ball, but his shot was easily saved. Then, Gray nearly pulled one back after getting on the end of a Parks cross at the back post, but his bouncing effort was denied by a strong Ivacic save.

Despite a late flurry of attacks and a more aggressive push during stoppage time, City couldn’t find the net and were ultimately handed a 2-0 defeat.

The loss leaves NYCFC still searching for their first win on the road in 2024. They’ll now look to regroup ahead of their next fixture, hoping to turn strong performances into points.