NYCFC, Nick Cushing: ”We Have To Create The Moment"

Despite an improved second-half showing, Cushing was left ruing City’s generosity in gifting set-pieces, and shyness in front of goal.

“I don't think we carried enough of the ball to control the game,” he reflected. “There were far too many set-plays – we gave away far too many set-plays because we didn't carry the ball enough, which meant that they could throw the ball.

“We knew they were going to be a direct team, we knew they were going to run off the backline, and put a lot of players up against us – and the one way to control those moments happening is to have the ball.

“We didn't carry the ball enough, and if you give Nashville, who we know are a direct team and play off set-play, that amount of set-plays in the first half, they're going to score.

“For us, it's about controlling the game with the ball. It’s our identity – if the game goes up and down, the opposition are better than us. It’s a simple game.

“If we control the game with the ball like we did in the second half, then we carry enough of the ball, and we pin them back, and we keep them away from our goal, we stop a direct team being able to be direct.

“We’re really disappointed with the second goal because we had the game. We weren't creating clean chances but at 1-0, the game is there for us when we carry so much of the ball.

“We’re really disappointed with the counter-attack. Ultimately, we’ve come here and not played so well in the first half. We played more like ourselves in the second half, and lost the game to a set-play and a counter-attack, which is really disappointing.

“We had so much control in the second half that we just have to create the moment. When you have Gabriel Pereira, Talles Magno, Thiago Andrade on the pitch, all we need to do is carry the ball and we should create the moments, and we didn’t today.

“We need to be better at that – that when we have so much possession, so much control, that we create chances that really hurt the opposition.

“We’re disappointed but we'll go on the training pitch and we'll work at it.”