Orlando City SC were on a tear going into tonight's match against New York City FC. Orlando had four wins in four games since losing to NYCFC on June 28, scoring 13 goals in that run. No other team in Major League Soccer scored more.
That goalapalooza ended tonight when New York City limited Orlando to just one goal in a 1-1 draw played out in the tropical Florida heat. With this result, NYCFC firmed up their hold on a particular stat: New York City are joint-leaders for allowing the fewest goals as the away team in MLS so far this season.
NYCFC allowed just 16 goals in 13 away games, which puts them at the top of the table. New York City are even with LA Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps — and ahead of defense-minded teams such as Columbus Crew, Charlotte FC, FC Cincinnati, and Houston Dynamo.
Major League Soccer | Goals Allowed as Away Team*
| Team | G | GA | GA/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | 13 | 16 | 1.23 |
| – | LA Galaxy | 13 | 16 | 1.23 |
| – | Vancouver Whitecaps | 13 | 16 | 1.23 |
| 4 | Columbus Crew | 12 | 15 | 1.25 |
| 5 | Charlotte FC | 13 | 17 | 1.31 |
| 6 | Atlanta United | 12 | 16 | 1.33 |
| 7 | FC Cincinnati | 12 | 17 | 1.42 |
| 8 | LAFC | 11 | 16 | 1.45 |
| 9 | Austin FC | 12 | 18 | 1.50 |
| – | Seattle Sounders | 12 | 18 | 1.50 |
| 11 | Houston Dynamo | 13 | 20 | 1.54 |
| 12 | Real Salt Lake | 14 | 22 | 1.57 |
| 13 | NY Red Bulls | 13 | 21 | 1.62 |
| 14 | Chicago FC | 13 | 22 | 1.69 |
| 15 | Inter Miami | 12 | 21 | 1.75 |
| 16 | Orlando City | 13 | 23 | 1.77 |
| 17 | FC Dallas | 12 | 22 | 1.83 |
| – | Nashville SC | 12 | 22 | 1.83 |
| 19 | Portland Timbers | 13 | 24 | 1.85 |
| 20 | Toronto FC | 14 | 26 | 1.86 |
| 21 | Philadelphia Union | 12 | 23 | 1.92 |
| 22 | Colorado Rapids | 13 | 26 | 2.00 |
| – | DC United | 12 | 24 | 2.00 |
| – | Minnesota United | 12 | 24 | 2.00 |
| – | Sporting Kansas City | 13 | 26 | 2.00 |
| 26 | New England | 10 | 23 | 2.30 |
| 27 | CF Montréal | 13 | 32 | 2.46 |
| 28 | St. Louis City | 12 | 30 | 2.50 |
| 29 | San Jose Earthquakes | 12 | 36 | 3.00 |
*As of matches that started on July 20, 2024
There's no secret to the overall success of this New York City defense this season. We saw it tonight: Goalkeeper Matt Freese is good at keeping the ball out of the net, a backline anchored by Thiago Martins and Birk Risa frustrates opponents, and a midfield patrolled by James Sands is difficult for other teams to navigate.
Freezing them out 🥶 pic.twitter.com/Qn41wRCYTO
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) July 21, 2024
But New York City had Freese, Thiago Martins, Risa, and Sands all in the same Starting XI just once during this four-game road trip. In recent games, A defense that featured Strahinja Tanasijević and Justin Haak was just as impressive as the first-choice Starting XI, allowing five goals in four games.
If only the attack was as imperious as the defense. New York City finished the four-game road trip without any wins after scoring just four goals. At the risk of sounding basic: A defense will keep you in a game, but you can't win without scoring.
Oliver Strand
