On Friday, New York City FC defeated the Chicago Fire 4-1. The boys in blue started off the night with two quick goals. Jefferson Mena scored a beautiful goal in the 8th minute, while the Captain, David Villa rifled a shot into the back of the net only seconds later. NYCFC was playing with confidence until the 35th minute, when Luis Solignac of the Chicago Fire nailed a superb header cutting New York’s lead to only a one goal advantage. However, only 9 minutes later New York’s Steven Mendoza bent a shot in to beat the goalkeeper. NYCFC eventually cruised to victory, as David Villa scored again in the 83rd minute.
This win earned NYCFC 3 points, giving them a total of 48 points and putting them in 1st place in the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference has been pretty tight this season when it comes to points. Toronto FC is in 2nd place at the moment, which means they only need to tie their next game to be tied for 1st place with NYCFC, but if they win, they’ll move into 1st place. On top of that, the 3rd place New York Red Bulls are only 1 win away from being tied with NYCFC for first place as well.
Playoffs are only a few weeks away, starting on October 26th. If NYCFC want to maintain the best position going into postseason play, it is vital for them to keep winning. They only have three games left in the regular season. They will be facing off against the Houston Dynamo & DC United away, and have one final game at home against the Columbus Crew on October 23rd. If New York City can win all 3 of their final games, they’ll finish off the season with a total of 57 points.
With leadership from David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo, championship success is truly a possibility this season. Besides the veteran leadership on the team, the likes of Khiry Shelton and Jack Harrison are eager to taste victory for the first time in their professional careers. New York City FC fans are hungry for victory and would love to see playoff success for the team in only their second season in Major League Soccer.
Winning a championship in any professional sport is not an easy task. The road to glory is very long and grueling. If NYCFC want to win it all, they will need to stay healthy and determined throughout the entire length of the playoffs. The Eastern Conference has many strong competitors and NYC must never underestimate any opponent. From the Philadelphia Union to the New England Revolution, New York City needs to be ready for every team in the league. I know that NYCFC has the ability to win the championship this season. If they can continue to play the same way they have been playing all year, you will definitely be seeing NYCFC raising the MLS Cup in December!
