New York City FC beat Philadelphia Union 1-0 at Citi Field on Matchday 8, renewing a rivalry that peaked in 2022 but remains a sometimes testy one by Major League Soccer standards.
This game was light on the testiness, and there was nothing to separate the two teams during an even and mostly uneventful first half. Things changed 10 minutes into the second half when NYCFC broke the deadlock, a 1-0 lead that they'd ride all the way to the final whistle.
Now that this Eastern Conference clash is officially in the books, let's go over a handful of the big talking points emerging from this gritty 1-0 win in Queens. Here are 4 Thoughts on NYCFC's much-needed victory at Citi Field.
Old Reliable Alonso
When New York City needs a goal, it usually falls to one player to deliver, and Alonso Martínez rose to the occasion against Philadelphia. After losing to Minnesota, Pascal Jansen said in his postmatch press conference that his team relies too much on Alonso to get their goals, while mentioning a desire to see development from players like Julián Fernández and Agustín Ojeda.
That development doesn't happen overnight, so while Jansen and company wait, it's good news that Alonso can still step up and find an important goal. After a dull first half, New York City got more direct while trying to play vertical passes to break through the Union's defense, and it worked in the 55th minute. Mitja Ilenič unlocked Martínez with a great upfield pass and Martínez kept his composure and dribbled around Union keeper Andrew Rick, eventually coolly sliding his shot home into the vacated goal.
Alonso Martínez beats the keeper for the breakthrough. 💥
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 13, 2025
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/IIAN5mEWX2 pic.twitter.com/c01h32RKn6
A crack may have formed in Martínez's El Clínico armor last weekend when he had that costly miss from the penalty spot against Minnesota, but normal service was restored at Citi Field. The Martínez reliance is real, as Alonso has scored five of the 11 NYCFC goals this season (45%) after scoring 16 of the team's 54 MLS goals a season ago (29%). They still need others to contribute, but Martínez can still deliver results.
Stabilizing the defense
The center-back pairing of Thiago Martins and Justin Haak looked a lot stronger than when Birk Risa paired with Thiago to start the Minnesota match. 17-year-old Jonny Shore was once again a disruptive presence starting as a defensive midfielder next to Keaton Parks, credited with winning a tackle and with double-digit ball recoveries. That spine of players in front of Matt Freese did the dirty work needed to earn New York City a rare clean sheet at home, the first one they've kept across a span of eight MLS matches dating back to July 3, 2024, when they blanked CF Montréal 2-0, also here at Citi Field.
Jansen gave Risa minutes late in the game to close out the clean sheet, and it was a huge clean sheet to keep after the double disappointment of the Minnesota loss following on the heels of the Atlanta collapse.
Who needs a No 10? (Both teams)
A match between two teams who recently decided to jettison their highly productive attacking midfielders. Philadelphia's trade of Dániel Gazdag to Columbus Crew earlier this week shook this fixture up a bit, especially because Gazdag historically torments New York City FC. The Hungarian attacker had four goals in 10 appearances against NYCFC from 2021 to 2024 (regular season and playoffs), so seeing him head to Ohio in exchange for $4 million in cash looked like a boost for a struggling New York City defense.
Maxi Moralez, meanwhile, continued to do the heavy lifting of replacing the No 10 New York City recently sold, Santiago Rodríguez. Moralez started and went all 90 minutes in four straight games heading into the Philadelphia match, though without a goal or an assist. He was back in there against the Union but didn't complete the match, removed for Julián Fernández after 75 minutes. Moralez didn't create any chances and was largely ineffective, though he came up against a Union team even more starved for a creative attacking midfield presence.
Ojeda: On time, this time
Julián Fernández started on the wing for five of eight games this season, which kept Agustín Ojeda on the bench. Ojeda couldn't crack the XI but he did become Pascal Jansen's most-used sub, with the Argentine entering six of eight matches as a substitute.
Ojeda started Matchday 1 at Inter Miami CF but had to wait until Matchday 8 vs. Philly to get back into the XI from the start. Ojeda's wait was not helped by the fact that he showed up to the NYCFC home opener at Yankee Stadium late, with his tardiness costing him a starting spot vs. Orlando City.
He got another chance as a starter against the Union and did his best to make something of the opportunity. Ojeda looked like one of New York City's most dangerous attackers in the first half and nearly got on the end of a low cross to tap in a goal late in that half. He didn't score and got removed for a second-half sub in the 86th minute, but the attack looked a bit more direct and lively with Ojeda charging in off the wing.
Hudson River Blue Staff
