Liam Fitzpatrick from Hudson River Blue Read More [[{“value”:”
New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after Saturday’s gritty but decisive win over the New England Revolution.
New York City FC’s do the double over New England Revolution after a dramatic win at Gillette Stadium night. The Revs currently sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference on seven points, but they didn’t make it easy for New York City in what was a cagey affair.
NYCFC left it late – Keaton Parks scored the only goal of the game in the 82nd minute – but they left Foxboro with all three points, grabbing their first win at Gillette Stadium since 2020. This win now makes it three consecutive road wins for New York City, and seven wins in the last eight games.
You gave four players a 7.0 rating or higher, and for those who you thought had a good showing, your ratings were more slightly generous than those from FotMob. But for the players who struggled on the night, your ratings were much harsher than FotMob’s.
After bagging his first goal of the season in the previous fixture against New York Red Bulls, Mounsef Bakrar reverted back to his struggling form, earning himself a 5.3 rating from Hudson River Blue readers and a 6.8 from FotMob.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Mounsef Bakrar, off 60′ (6.8) – 5.1
Santiago Rodríguez (7.8) – 6.7
Hannes Wolf, off 81′ (6.5) – 6.6
Agustín Ojeda, off 60′ (6.8) – 5.4
Keaton Parks (8.2) – 8.3
Andrés Perea (6.9) – 6.8
Kevin O’Toole (7.4) – 6.8
Tayvon Gray (7.9) – 7.8
Thiago Martins (7.6) – 7.7
Birk Risa (6.8) – 6.7
Matt Freese (8.5) – 8.8
Alonso Martínez, on 60′ (6.0) – 6.3
Malachi Jones, on 60′ (7.1) – 6.8
Justin Haak, on 81′ (NR) – 5.9
Player Spotlight
Matt Freese
It’s about time we give Matt Freese his flowers, and based on your rating of 8.8, you approve of his performance Saturday night. What’s there to not be happy about? Freese had seven saves in what was his third clean sheet of the Major League Soccer season so far. The confidence he has been radiating in recent weeks is evident in the way he plays, and he looked like he had every chance covered against the Revs.
ICE MAN COMING IN CLUTCH ???? pic.twitter.com/NYznlk1bu4
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) May 26, 2024
The stats are starting to reflect your high praises for the American goalkeeper. Freese currently sits third in the MLS in save percentage (78.4%), just behind Austin FC’s Brad Stuver (78.8%) and Roman Celentano of FC Cinncinati (78.9%).
So many players in this NYCFC squad are making key contributions, and Freese has been one of the most important starters throughout the season. Standout performances like his nine-save outing to beat Toronto FC 2-3, and his clean sheet in the first matchup with New England back in April all show just how important Matt Freese is to this surging New York City team.
Nick Cushing – 6.4
Off the back of four straight wins, you awarded Nick Cushing with his fourth straight 6-point or higher rating. Cushing is doing a great job of rotating the squad whilst maintaining an exceptional run of form: These four straight wins had four different Starting XIs. It’s worth noting that this marked New York City’s eighth win this season after 15 games — last year it took the team 34 games to get to eight.
And to the HRB reader who again gave Cushing a 1, do you have personal beef? What did he ever do to you? Let us know in the comments!
Ted Unkel – 3.9
At first, the ref didn’t make enough calls, and let players grab each other like an ugly bar fight. Then he made too many, and started handing out yellow cards like Halloween candy. The Revs were whistled for 19 fouls — Santiago Rodríguez was the victim of five of those, but no warnings were given for persistent infringement. Which goes a little way to explain the game-low 3.9 rating.
Player of the Match
Keaton Parks
Keaton Parks played the part of hero on Saturday night. With James Sands suspended due to yellow card accumulation, Parks was given the nod for his third start in a row, and you can say he had a successful night.
KEATON AIRWAYS ✈️ pic.twitter.com/3nFTGiLQop
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) May 26, 2024
In the 82nd minute, Parks rose above New England’s defense and put his head on a searching ball from Tayvon Gray. The towering header delivered a much-needed goal to a New York City desperately searching for a winner.
Apart from scoring, Parks was impactful going forward and played six passes into the final third. He bossed the midfield all night, and won seven duels while also making three recoveries. This performance comes off the back of an impressive showing in the Hudson River Derby where he won three tackles and nine recoveries as he helped NYCFC beat New York Red Bulls 2-1.
His pivotal contributions on the night earned him over 50% of the vote for Player of the Match.
“}]]