New York City FC will play Tigres in the Round of 16 of Leagues Cup at Red Bull Arena on Tuesday night.
But does NYCFC deserve to be in the spot they are in? They struggled against Liga MX bottom-feeders Querétaro FC, conceded four goals in 11 minutes against FC Cincinnati, and played a back-and-forth game with New England, the current last-placed team in the MLS Eastern Conference, before winning another penalty shootout.
You can say the team is lucky to be in the Round of 16: They are yet to win a match in regulation in Leagues Cup.
A straightforward win was expected against Querétaro, but what transpired on the pitch was far from that. New York City rotated several players and didn't look like scoring all night long, while Querétaro played physically and hoped for penalties.
Against Cincinnati, NYCFC was in a prime position to win the group and face Santos Laguna tonight. Instead, the team collapsed and allowed four goals in 11 minutes, leading to another disappointing road loss.
Tonight, New York City went up against New England for the third time this season. It was a similar script to the game at Gillette Stadium back in May: NYCFC is expected to comfortably win against a poor team but instead, barely squeeze by.
This time, there was no Keaton Parks late goal to save the day. New York City took it to penalties in what was the most exciting part of the game; both teams did not look like missing. Until New England did.
NYCFC should have won the game in regulation. This New England side was missing six starters, sits bottom of the Eastern Conference, and is tied with Nashville for the fewest goals per 90 minutes. But poor defending allowed Bobby Wood to easily score a header five minutes after Santi Rodríguez opened the scoring with a confident penalty.
Now, New York City will face high-flying Tigres on Tuesday night in Harrison. Tigres previously defeated New York City in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals back in 2020, winning 5-0 on aggregate. This season, the Mexican giants are on a five-game win streak and were tied for first in Liga MX before the Leagues Cup break.
It will be one of the toughest games NYCFC has played this season. With the way New York City has performed in Leagues Cup, it is likely Tigres will end its run.
Poor defending, lack of intensity, and no offensive threat on the road have plagued NYCFC recently. Yes, it is considered a "home" game, but it's not Citi Field or Yankee Soccer Stadium. New York City will need to find a way to keep Tigres at bay while also playing a complete game.
