Sometimes when you’re in a slump, you just need one to go in.
After a scoreless drought that reached a franchise-record 509 minutes, Gudi Thorarinsson’s free kick in second-half stoppage time gave New York City FC a 1-1 draw at Atlanta on Oct. 20.
The Cityzens returned home and set a franchise record with six goals in a victory against D.C. United on Saturday, snapping a six-match winless streak and moving from below the playoff line into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
NYCFC (12-11-8, 44 points) will look to continue the offensive turnaround when they host the Chicago Fire (9-16-7, 34 points) on Wednesday night.
“It’s in our DNA, we want to attack all the time and we want to give the fans entertainment and something to remember,” NYCFC coach Ronny Deila said. “At our best we can do big things and at our lowest level it’s too low. (Saturday) we showed our best side.”
Thiago Andrade scored 36 seconds into the game and Valentin Castellanos tallied twice in the opening 11 minutes to give New York a 3-0 lead.
“We have to be focused on the playoffs,” said Castellanos, who is tied for fifth in the league with 15 goals. “We need to qualify and win the games that are left, there are three finals that we have to give it our all, play how we did (Saturday).”
Chicago, which has already been eliminated from playoff contention, is coming off a 1-0 victory Saturday against visiting Real Salt Lake. Robert Beric scored just before the half for the Fire and 17-year-old goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina made five saves for the shutout and was named to the MLS Team of the Week along with NYCFC’s Castellanos.
Chicago is 3-1-2 in its past six matches, including a 2-0 home win over NYCFC on Sept. 29.
“Overall it was a difficult season but I think it’s all about this moment and how can we improve and get ready for next season because the playoffs are not in the picture anymore,” Slonina said. “But I think every individual has his strengths and I think using those strengths in the game is what will keep us performing well.”
–Field Level Media
