New York City FC was dealt a massive blow when goalkeeper Matt Freese was forced to leave tonight's game with an injury in the 12th minute. Freese has consistently been NYCFC's X-factor all season long, making clutch saves that give the team confidence to play well. You can't pin tonight's loss on Freese's injury, but it's safe to say that New York City had an uphill climb without him.
It's unclear how long Freese could be out, but every game he misses will impact the team. After all, he started every Major League Soccer game this season and has been consistently impressive.
Freese's stats are eye-catching: His save percentage of 75.6 is currently tied for the best in MLS with Columbus Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. Per FotMob, he's prevented 6.5 goals, which is tied for fourth-best. He averages 1.2 goals conceded per game, which is tied for fourth-lowest in the league.
It just isn't the same with Luis Barraza. He had his moments in the past, but there's a notable difference within the team when he's in goal. Last year, the team earned just five wins in his 24 league starts. This year, he started three games in all competitions and allowed four goals in two of those.
Against FC Cincinnati in Leagues Cup, Barraza allowed four goals in 11 minutes, which is the worst defensive collapse in club history. Tonight against Columbus, he gave up two stoppage-time goals within seven minutes — and received a game-low 4.6 rating from FotMob. These are the sorts of performances that can destabilize a squad.
WHAT A TIME TO SCORE YOUR FIRST MLS GOAL IN BLACK & GOLD 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Xm5pJinIdF
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) September 1, 2024
Freese is a leader on this team now: He shouts orders at his teammates on corners, tells them how to set up on free kicks, and is someone they can look up to in tough times.
New York City will be missing that leadership as they look to snatch up a top-five spot in the Eastern Conference: The team may need to find a way to win without Freese. That means they'll rely on Barraza, and will need him to once again be the goalkeeper who was good enough to earn the starting job at the beginning of last season.
