New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers: Here are your NYCFC player ratings after a 2-2 draw on opening day against Major League Soccer heavyweights Inter Miami.
New York City FC earned a point on opening day for the first time since 2019, drawing Inter Miami at Ft. Lauderdale 2-2. So what if Lionel Messi & Co evened the score 11 minutes into stoppage time after being reduced to 10 players early in the first half? This young NYCFC team displayed some of the grit missing last year, and your player ratings reflect the effort we saw on the field.
To be clear, Miami were the better team. They controlled the run of play for much of the game despite being short-handed, and the squad's intensity and creativity was something to behold. But New York City found a way to score twice on the road despite entering the night with a roster so depleted that no Designated Players were in the lineup, five of the players on the bench began the night with zero First Team minutes, and three of those were teenagers.
One of them went on to make his MLS debut: Jonny Shore, a 17-year-old midfielder who made 24 appearances for NYCFC II last year, came on at the half and was tasked with nothing less than facing down Messi and Sergio Busquets. Shore's performance wasn't flawless – a sloppy challenge that clipped Messi's shins was whistled for a foul in a dangerous spot – but he completed 19 of his 20 pass attempts, which was good for a 95% pass completion rate. It's an auspicious start for Shore, who was born and raised in New York City, and who signed a Homegrown contract in 2023, when he was 15.
In other words, the 2-2 glass is very much half full.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Andrew Leigh
Alonso Martínez, off 90' (7.8) – 8.3
Hannes Wolf (6.9) – 4.9
Agustín Ojeda, off 69' (6.6) – 5.6
Maxi Moralez, off 78' (7.6) – 7.2
Keaton Parks (6.9) – 6.2
Justin Haak (6.7) – 6.6
Mitja Ilenič, off 82' (7.4) – 7.7
Kevin O'Toole, off 69' (6.6) – 6.5
Strahinja Tanasijević, off 46' (6.3) – 4.0
Birk Risa (6.9) – 6.1
Matt Freese (7.2) – 7.5
