David Villa Stars as 10-Man NYCFC Best Chicago Fire 2-1

ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 05: David Villa (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

In a game marred by physicality and questionable officiating, New York City FC came away with an impressive 2-1 home victory over the Chicago Fire Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Game Summary

The Pigeons found themselves in a hole early after referee Allen Chapman sent off midfielder Yangel Herrera in the 12th minute of the match due to an accumulation of yellow cards early in the game.

Despite the questionable call, playing with 10 men for the remaining 78 minutes didn’t seem to phase NYCFC. The Boys in Blue continued to push forward and continually trouble the Chicago defense. As a result, NYCFC was the more dominant side in the first half but were unable to break through.

After a scoreless first 45 minutes, NYCFC finally found the back of the net in the 47th minute thanks to a David Villa volley from just outside the penalty box.

The Boys in Blue weren’t done after Villa’s strike. Center back Frederic Brillant tallied another goal for the home side in the 50th minute with a diving header in the six-yard box.

The Fire would go on to get one back in 54th minute thanks to a wonder-strike from David Accam. It was back and forth from the 55th minute on and the Fire had several chances to equalize after changing their formation, but the defense and keeper Sean Johnson stepped up when City needed it the most to seal the win.

With the win, NYCFC now finds themselves within one point of the Fire for second place in the Eastern Conference.

ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 05: David Villa (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

Man of the Match: David Villa

Villa was the driving force behind NYCFC Saturday afternoon on both ends of the pitch.

El Capitan consistently made dangerous runs, routinely beat defenders whenever he was on the ball, and consistently sprung his teammates into open space with dangerous diagonal passes through Chicago’s back line.

Villa also made key tackles on the defensive end of the pitch when the Pigeons were down a man early, blocking plenty of Chicago crosses.

NYCFC First: Jon Lewis Makes His Club Debut, Tallies an Assist

Jon Lewis, the club’s first round pick in January’s MLS Super Draft, made his NYCFC debut Saturday afternoon.

The Akron product played 72 minutes out on the wing and made the most of his first taste of MLS action. Lewis had a couple of sloppy touches at the beginning but made a significant impact as soon as he settled in.

The rookie made quality diagonal runs that stretched Chicago’s back line and he found his way onto the score sheet after logging the assist for Villa’s goal.

Officiating Review: Allen Chapman

Allen Chapman was the official assigned to this match and his performance was inconsistent at best.

Chapman dealt out seven yellow cards on the afternoon and was exceedingly harsh towards NYCFC, dishing out five yellow cards and one red card to the New York side.

Chicago was the more physical side on the afternoon and one could argue that more Fire players should have been booked than the two that were.

The Fire were guilty of much more egregious fouls throughout the day such as shirt-pulling, tackles from behind, and elbow throwing.

Moment of Class: Bastian Schweinsteiger Helps David Villa Off the Turf

Villa was the victim of a hard challenge towards the end of the match and stayed down on the turf for an extended period of time.

Instead of grabbing Villa to pull him up so play wouldn’t have to stop, Schweinsteiger instead stretched out Villa’s hamstring and helped him back on his feet when Villa was ready to go.

Next: New York Giants 2017 Opponent Overview: Week Three

Up Next: Toronto FC, 7/30/17, 2:00pm kick

The Pigeons will look to get all three points in their second matchup with Toronto FC in as many weeks. NYCFC will be in for a challenge this time around as the Canadian side will have Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley back in the starting XI.

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