Columbus Crew put together second half comeback to defeat NYCFC 3-2: 2 takeaways
The Crew went into their match against New York City FC with a mental hurdle to curb, having to put their loss in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final behind them and bounce back during MLS regular-season play.
It would take a 40-minute rain delay plus the whole first half for the Crew to make progress in their attempt to move forward, but once they recorded their first goal of the night, things quickly started to come together in a 3-2 victory Friday at Yankee Stadium.
"I'm so proud of that because this is difficult," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy. said "Yes, we can manage tactics. Yes, we can manage techniques. But the mental aspect, the brain is so difficult and so complex. ... My team found a way to stay on the task, to fight and to score goals."
Replay: Columbus Crew defeat NYCFC 3-2
After a scoreless first 35 minutes in the first half, NYCFC defender Mitja Ilenic received a red card for a foul on forward Christian Ramirez, which put New York down a man for the rest of the match. But NYCFC got on the board before halftime with a goal from Agustin Ojeda.
Nancy has stated that the Crew has the ability to adjust at halftime and capitalize, especially in the first 15 minutes of play coming out of the break. That happened again Friday.
"I didn't want them to think that we play against 10 men," Nancy said. "The idea was offensively to stay the same and try to be more aggressive and believe in their qualities to score those goals. Defensively, knowing that we have a plus-one, (I wanted them to) try to be more aggressive, and this is what they did."
Ramirez, who scored the lone goal when the Crew played at Yankee Stadium in June 2023, was the first to score for the Crew on Friday a little over five minutes into the second half. Midfielder Mo Farsi quickly gave the Crew a 2-1 lead and striker Cucho Hernandez secured the win with a penalty kick at the 65-minute mark.
Playing on a traditional baseball field, Ramirez and Hernandez had baseball-themed celebrations ready to go once they scored, both mimicking a bat swing.
"Christian (Ramirez) did that last year, I remember," Farsi said. "I think it’s just funny. We scored three goals and did it two times, so that's good.”
The victory marks a fourth straight road victory for the Crew in MLS play. Last year, they picked up only four road victories in total during the regular season.
Columbus Crew midfielder Mo Farsi has redemption from last season's match at Yankee Stadium
After the game, Nancy recalled the last time the Crew were on the field at Yankee Stadium and how the final minutes of the 1-1 draw against NYCFC were far from Farsi's finest.
"Mo (Farsi) made a mistake and we conceded the goal here," Nancy said. "That's why what I like to say to my team is, ‘We don't play against the team. We play to learn and to get better.’ We use the opposition to get better."
Farsi was again in the starting lineup Friday, but the start comes after a long journey of losing that starting role midseason to a newly acquired Julien Gressel, who is now with Inter Miami, and earning it back in the postseason.
Throughout the 2024 season, Farsi has continued to improve despite suffering ankle and groin injuries. Farsi is still working toward being 100%, but that didn't stop him from making an impact Friday.
Farsi scored his first goal since returning from a groin injury he suffered against CF Montreal on April 27 by acting fast and capitalizing on New York's goalkeeper Matt Freese deflecting a save right to him in the box.
"The idea for Mo (Farsi) is to be more consistent because he brings a lot of energy to the team," Nancy said. "Mo had a really good game tonight because he wanted also to show himself that he's a better player than last year when we had a game here. Good for him, now, he knows that he has to work on certain things, but I'm happy for him."
More: Crew midfielder Aidan Morris leaving Columbus for EFL Championship's Middlesbrough FC
Columbus Crew overcome a top goalkeeper in MLS, NYCFC's Matt Freese
The Crew had eight shots on goal in the first half. That was nullified by Freese's eight saves in the first half.
Freese ranks first in the Eastern Conference with 69 saves. The Crew came out in the second half knowing what specific adjustment to make, which led to Ramirez's and Farsi's goals.
"We just talked at the halftime and said, 'Guys you need to have like more numbers in the box,' " Farsi said. "So, when I got the ball to Cucho, he did a good defection to Max (Arfsten). I just tried to continue my run and after the ball came to me, and I scored. We had a couple of guys in the box, that's what we try to do every time and it paid off."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew pick up 3-2 win over NYCFC at Yankee Stadium: Takeaways
