Without Alonso Martínez, NYCFC Need a New Source of Goals — Who Is Ready to Step Up?

New York City FC’s biggest challenge during the current stretch may be painfully simple: finding enough goals without Alonso Martínez.

The forward’s absence removes one of Pascal Jansen’s most important attacking references at a time when NYCFC are already struggling to turn competitive performances into victories. A five-game MLS winless run has increased the pressure on every missed chance, and New York can no longer afford to wait for one player to solve the problem.

The answer has to be collective.

Luighi is receiving a larger role, Nico Fernández Mercau continues to become more influential, and several other attacking players now have an opportunity to take on responsibilities that would normally fall to Martínez.

Martínez’s absence removes more than goals from Jansen’s attack

Replacing Martínez is difficult because his value is not limited to finishing.

He gives NYCFC movement behind the defensive line, forces center backs to defend deeper and creates space for midfielders arriving from behind. When he is unavailable, New York lose some of the vertical threat that normally prevents opponents from squeezing the field.

That can make the entire attack more predictable.

Against Toronto, NYCFC had promising moments but did not turn enough of them into goals. Fernández Mercau produced a brilliant individual strike, yet the team failed to find the second goal that might have ended the contest.

That is exactly where Martínez’s absence becomes noticeable.

Jansen needs someone who can consistently attack the penalty area and finish moves, not just help create them.

Luighi, Fernández Mercau and the supporting cast must share the burden

Luighi is the most obvious candidate to take on more responsibility.

The young Brazilian has shown encouraging movement and has worked his way into dangerous positions, but the next step is converting those opportunities. If he can turn promising moments into goals, his importance to the team could grow very quickly.

Fernández Mercau may also have to become more aggressive as a scorer rather than functioning primarily as a creator.

His long-range goal in Toronto showed that he has the confidence and technique to produce decisive moments. NYCFC need more of that, particularly when games become tight and the attack lacks rhythm.

The burden cannot stop with those two players.

Wingers and midfielders must contribute more frequently, attacking the box rather than waiting for the striker to solve everything. Jansen also has to create a structure in which goals can come from multiple areas of the field.

That would make NYCFC less dependent on any single forward even when Martínez eventually returns.

The current injury is forcing New York to answer an important question earlier than expected. Alonso Martínez cannot be the only reliable source of goals on a team with serious ambitions. If Luighi, Fernández Mercau and the rest of the attack can step forward now, NYCFC may emerge from this difficult stretch with a much more balanced offensive identity.