Andrew Leigh from Hudson River Blue Read More
New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings for the team’s third consecutive win, and its first-ever over Charlotte FC.
As results for New York City FC continue to improve, so do the grades handed out by you the readers in these player ratings.
The thrilling, late 2-1 win over Charlotte FC marks the first time this season that four NYCFC players were given ratings over 8.0, with 10 of the 16 players to take the Yankee Soccer Stadium pitch receiving ratings over 7.0.
Wins make for happy player-raters, but it wasn’t a clear-cut choice for Player of the Match. A winning goal at 90’+3′ scored by a substitute who only entered in the 82nd minute complicates things, and this was one of the closest POtM votes to date in 2024.
The goal-scorers and goal-creators—Alonso Martínez, Keaton Parks, and Santiago Rodríguez—got the high marks on the night, but your ratings also recognized the contributions of a few key defensive contributors, namely Matt Freese, who authored another six-save performance, and Kevin O’Toole, who seemed to do a little bit of everything in the win that extended NYCFC’s unbeaten streak to five straight matches.
Read on for complete player ratings from a wet, chilly, victorious night in The Bronx.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Mounsef Bakrar, off 82′ (6.6) – 5.7
Santiago Rodríguez (8.5) – 8.2
Julián Fernández, off 63′ (7.6) – 7.0
Agustín Ojeda, off 71′ (7.3) – 6.3
Keaton Parks, off 82′ (8.5) – 8.3
James Sands (7.2) – 7.1
Mitja Ilenič (7.6) – 7.1
Kevin O’Toole (7.9) – 7.5
Thiago Martins, off 90′ (6.7) – 7.3
Birk Risa (7.2) – 7.0
Matt Freese (7.1) – 8.3
Hannes Wolf, on 63′ (6.3) – 6.2
Malachi Jones, on 71′ (6.1) – 5.9
Alonso Martínez, on 82′ (NR) – 8.1
Andrés Perea, on 82′ (NR) – 5.7
Strahinja Tanasijević, on 90′ (NR) – 6.1
Player Spotlight
Kevin O’Toole
O’Toole was at his most influential in the win over Charlotte, even if it might have flown slightly under the radar.
The fullback recorded 10 recoveries and 89 touches, both season highs, while also completing his most passes in a 2024 match, going 47-of-56 (good for 84% pass accuracy) in distribution on the night.
A lot of the action at Yankee Soccer Stadium flowed through O’Toole, but he still did his defensive duties, with the defender credited with making three tackles, two interceptions, one block, and two clearances.
All those stats meant a season-high 7.5 rating for O’Toole in these ratings, just a few ticks below the 7.9 rating from FotMob.
The Princeton product has enjoyed some banner nights in The Bronx so far this season, scoring the winner vs. Toronto FC, and now did a little bit of everything to help New York City be in position to earn a last-minute win over Charlotte.
O’Toole has locked down the starting left-back job, and his performance against Charlotte might have been the best of his NYCFC career to date.
Nick Cushing – 6.8
This represents Cushing’s highest grade of the 2024 season, and it seems well-deserved. The NYCFC head coach chose to go with Alonso Martínez after watching Mounsef Bakrar put in an ineffective 82-minute shift up front, which proved to be the right move. Martínez’s clinical finish of a Santi Rodríguez cross won his team the match.
After the match, Cushing said he’s working on converting Martínez, a winger throughout his career, to a No 9. That experiment might be ongoing, but it was successful against Charlotte, especially considering prized youngster Jovan Mijatović has yet to fully integrate or carve out his role with his new team.
Cushing was also aggressive with his substitutions, using all five available to him, which is somewhat rare for the New York City manager. He pushed all the right buttons and was rewarded accordingly by the player raters.
Ismir Pekmic – 5.5
No major refereeing incidents or controversies to speak of in this one, with Pekmic seeming to be in control and on the same page with both teams throughout the 90 minutes. Solid refereeing means not really noticing the referee, and that was how it played out in this one.
Player of the Match
Santiago Rodríguez
That’s two consecutive Player of the Match honors for the New York City No 10, with his match-winning assist and four chances created rewarded with an 8.2 rating, almost identical to the 8.5 he earned from FotMob.
Santi has been the driving force behind much of NYCFC’s attacking success this season, and that was no different against Charlotte. The Uruguayan Designated Player put four shots on target, completed nine passes into the final third, and was tidy on the ball, completing 46 of his 56 passes (82%).
Between him and goalkeeper Matt Freese, it might be a tough call to name a clear “New York City FC Team MVP.” Both players have been instrumental in the string of good results the team has enjoyed of late, but Santi has stepped his creative attacking play up another level this season.