David Villa Lifts NYCFC to 3-2 Victory in the Hudson River Derby
Coming off their worst loss of the season, New York City FC rebounded with a crucial win over the New York Red Bulls thanks to a career day by David Villa.
Game Summary:
After a 4-0 shelling at the hands of Toronto FC last weekend, New York City FC got back to their winning ways and earned a much-needed bounce-back win against the New York Red Bulls in the Hudson River Derby Sunday evening.
The Boys in Blue looked like the stronger side at the beginning of the match and controlled possession for the first twenty minutes of the game, but were unable to break through the Red Bulls’ back line despite their time on the ball.
The Red Bulls would eventually get themselves back into the game and it looked like momentum was gradually swinging their way, but the Pigeons would be the team to draw first blood in the 28th minute of the match.
David Villa pounced on a Red Bulls deflected pass off of Alexander Ring and beat Red Bulls keeper Luis Robles one-on-one to give NYCFC an early 1-0 lead.
The Red Bulls would later equalize after a controversial no-call when Jack Harrison went down in the penalty box in the 40th minute. NYCFC-killer Bradley Wright-Philips would level the score on the ensuing break, slotting home his first goal of the match in the 41st minute.
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The first half ended with both teams locked in a 1-1 struggle, but NYCFC would ultimately pull away in the second half thanks to an otherworldly performance by Villa.
The Red Bulls controlled possession at the beginning of the second half and took the lead after another Wright-Phillips goal in the 64th minute, his 10th goal in nine career matches against the Pigeons. However, the Red Bulls’ lead wouldn’t last long.
Villa took over the match from that point on and leveled the score after single-handedly slicing through the Red Bulls defense and beating Robles near post with an absolute screamer in the 72nd minute of the match.
The Boys in Blue would go up for good two minutes later after Sal Zizzo fouled Villa with a high boot in the penalty box on a contested ball. Naturally, it was Villa that stepped up to the spot and he calmly slotted home his third goal of the game in the 75th minute.
The Red Bulls had most of the possession in the final 15 minutes of the match and were constantly knocking on the door, but NYCFC buckled down and held off their hated rivals to secure the win, keeping them in the Supporter’s Shield race.
With the win, NYCFC sits five points clear of the Red Bulls in third place on the Eastern Conference table and are only four points behind conference leaders Toronto FC after the Canadian side’s 1-1 draw with D.C. United.
Man of the Match: David Villa
It’s pretty obvious that nobody else deserves to be named Man of the Match more than David Villa.
Outside of scoring all three of NYCFC’s goals on the day, the Spanish international also made several key plays on defense to ensure a much-needed Pigeons victory over their hated cross-river rivals.
NYCFC First: David Villa Records First Career MLS Hat Trick
It’s hard to believe that Villa hadn’t recorded a hat-trick before, considering he’s one of the most prolific scorers in the MLS.
The Spanish international finally earned the first single-game three goal tally of his MLS career Sunday afternoon to push the Pigeons past the Red Bulls and put him atop the MLS Golden Boot race with 17 goals on the season.
Officiating Review: Baldomero Toledo
Baldomero Toledo was guilty of some questionable officiating Sunday evening and didn’t allow either team to establish any sort of flow. Overall, the 14-year veteran official called 40 total fouls between the two teams, gave out four yellow cards, and harshly doled out a red card to the Red Bulls’ Sal Zizzo in the dying minutes of the match.
Up Next: Los Angeles Galaxy, 8/12, 11:00 pm ET Kick
The Boys in Blue will travel across the country for a meeting with the struggling Los Angeles Galaxy and have a great chance to earn all three points in California.
Next: New York Yankees 40-Man Roster Series: 2018 Roster Locks
The Galaxy have conceded a whopping 19 goals in 11 home matches this season and figure to be no match for New York’s top offense.