New York City FC player ratings are determined by Hudson River Blue readers — here are your NYCFC player ratings grades from New York City’s electric 2-1 win over Nashville SC at Citi Field in the World’s Borough on Saturday, April 15.
Starting XI
Gabriel Segal (off 68′) – 5.6
Readers are understandably impatient with the No 9 situation. At the very least, Segal’s involvement these days allows Talles Magno to play in his natural position, freeing up the Brazilian to do what he does best. But, at some point, Segal is going to have to get on the scoresheet to win the hearts of fans. Fotmob was more impressed, giving him a 7.2
Talles Magno (off 83′) – 6.3
Despite playing most of the match out wide (where we all want him), Talles Magno didn’t quite have his usual magic. With that said, he still managed to have THAT moment, where he took on two players by himself, megging one of them, and leaving it for Mitja Ilenic to swing it to Keaton Parks for the opening goal. A great game? Maybe not. But a great game-changing moment? Absolutely. Fotmob handed him a 7.0.
Richy Ledzema (off 61’) – 8.3
It was a first start for the American loanee from PSV Eindhoven, and boy did he deliver. Starting in place of Santi Rodríguez in the No 10 position (who was nursing a tight hamstring per Nick Cushing,) Richy slotted in seamlessly and confidently, taking players on and breaking lines on the dribble time and time again. He also bagged himself his first assist in NYCFC colors with a well-taken corner that was volleyed home by Maxime Chanot. All in all, a great day at the office, and one that earned him Player of the Match honors from Hudson River Blue readers. FotMob handed him an 8.1
Gabriel Pereira – 6.7
It was a solid outing for GP. He didn’t necessarily threaten the Nashville goal to the peak of his capabilities, but his ability to link play in transition was impressive, boasting a number of nifty flicks and tricks in tight spaces to launch counters. Fotmob gave him a 7.1.
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Keaton Parks – 7.9
What a day for KP55 – back to himself in the midfield, and back on the scoresheet for the first time this season. It was a brilliant header, and maybe an even better celebration. He played an integral role in this win, and he’ll look to carry that momentum into next week vs FC Dallas back in Queens. Fotmob was also impressed, giving him an 8.2.
James Sands – 7.8
While HRB readers settled for a pretty modest 7.8 on the day for the Guy from Rye, there was at least one man in the building at Citi Field who was really impressed with Sands’ performance on Saturday, and that was head coach Nick Cushing. In fact, when I asked him point-blank in the presser who his Player of the Match was, he gave us the following: “For me I would vote James Sands…he was a 10/10 for me.” He cited his ability to win the ball back for his side, and mostly silence Hany Muktar as his motivation for the glowing review, and I can’t say I disagree – I thought he was excellent. Fotmob pegged his performance as a 7.9.
Maxime Chanot – 8.2
I’m not sure how Chanot managed to pull an 8.2 rating, the highest of any NYCFC player, and not get Player of the Match, but here we are! The big talking point for Chanot, of course, will be the goal, which was extremely well taken: Caught on the full volley and connected with sweetly, Maxime extended the lead from one to two in style. But beyond the goal, his defensive play was as solid as you’d expect from the MLS veteran – it was a great performance from him across the board. He was actually Fotmob’s Man of the Match, as he was awarded an impressive 8.5.
Thiago Martins – 7.4
Another strong showing from ‘Martins 13’ is exactly what we needed on Saturday, and is something I’m getting used to typing every Sunday. The dude has been solid, and is starting to really come into his own in this sky-blue backline. Cushing spoke highly of his leadership in the post-match presser as well, suggesting the center half is checking all the right boxes these days for New York City. Fotmob gave him a 7.1 for his efforts.
Mitja Ilenič (off 69′) – 7.7
Mitja is quickly becoming one of my favorite players on this entire roster. Having seen a few clips of him speaking post-game, and after briefly meeting him in the locker room on Saturday, I’m pretty sure this kid is the most likable dude of all time. He just seems so genuinely excited to be a part of it all. Plus, it helps that he’s an absolute baller – that cross he played to Keaton was an absolute dime. FotMob awarded his efforts with a healthy 7.7
Braian Cufré – 6.7
Perhaps a bit of muted day for Braian at Citi Field, but a win covers that up. I’m still a little lukewarm on his production this season, but he’s clearly a quality player. At some point, I think he could really kick it into gear and show us his best game. FotMob was pretty impressed, however, giving him a 7.8.
Luis Barraza – 7.4
A good performance from NYCFC’s number one No 1. Barraza made some clutch saves to preserve the lead, and played through a tight neck muscle after taking a tumble in the first half. FotMob awarded him a 7.9.
Substitutes
Santi Rodríguez (on 61′) – 6.4
He was about six inches away from this substitute appearance being closer to an 8.5, but nonetheless Santi looked dangerous in his cameo. As mentioned earlier, Santi started on the bench as a result of his hamstring per Cushing, but this could prove to create that “good problem to have” for the gaffer, as Richy’s performance was top class in his absence. FotMob gave him a 6.5.
Andres Jasson (on 68’) – 5.8
I want to give Andres a quick shoutout here for scoring for NYCFC II last week, which has to be a nice confidence boost for him. Cushing perhaps took a bit of notice there, giving him a healthy 25-ish minute run out there. With that said, we were defending for the majority of that window, giving little opportunity for the Connecticut native to find much in the way of attacking play. Fotmob had him at 6.5.
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Tayvon Gray (on 68′) – 6.0
Tayvon looked alright in his substitute appearance. Overall, he and his teammates were able to hang on through the Nashville extra time onslaught, which means he achieved the goal at hand. But, his most notable moment was his absolute adventure down the right side at the end of the match, where he took on pretty much the entire state of Tennessee in a rogue solo mission to get to the corner flag. That was electric. FotMob gave him a 6.3.
Alfredo Morales (on 83′) – 6.0
Alfredo came on in the 83rd immediately following Nashville’s goal to try to hang on for the three points. Mission accomplished. He did the necessary, which is all you can ask in that situation. He didn’t log enough minutes for a FotMob rating.
Player of the Match
Richy Ledzema
A first start, a first assist, and a first official HRB Player of the Match for Richy Ledezma. It really was a great showing, winning the hearts and trust of the New York City faithful in the process. Now, how will Cushing address the fact that he and Santi are both such quality players in the same position? Will he throw one out wide? or, will he look to rotate the two at the No 10 position?
Head Coach
Nick Cushing – 7.1
The gaffer was all smiles after the match, citing the Citi Field atmosphere as a huge driver for the team’s impressive performance. He did note a hint of frustration that his team wasn’t up by a bigger margin by the time Nashville pegged back, suggesting they could’ve put the game away if they’d finished more of their chances. The readers were pleased, but not over-the-moon with what they saw from Cushing, giving him a 6.9.
Allen Chapman (referee) – 5.7
I didn’t feel like the referee had much influence on the match in the end, which is more or less all you can ask for in this business. Fans gave him a 5.8, but I’d say that’s about the going rate for an MLS ref.
Kevin Egan and Kyndra De St. Aubin (Apple TV announcers) – 5.8
A good day at the office for the Apple TV announcers, relatively speaking. There’s not much love for national broadcasts in NYCFC nation, but this is the best rating to date for the MLS Season Pass crew.
Glenn Crooks and Matt Lawrence (NYCFC Radio) – 7.3
Once again, hometown heroes Glen Crooks and Matt Lawrence were popular with our readers. If only Apple TV synched them to away games, when most of NYCFC’s fans are at home and streaming the game.
