Starting XI

A+

A week removed from an Orlando City game I gave him a failing grade in, Sean Johnson had a banger of a game against D.C. United this Sunday! The New York City FC netminder proved invaluable in the early goings of the contest, making two huge stops against both Luciano Acosta and Wayne Rooney.

SeanJohn would keep the game level later on in the second half to once again deny Acosta. If only Bill Hamid hadn’t been so damn good on the other end.

Anton Tinnerholm

C+

The Swedish right back was damn solid against DCU. Still, I can’t help but feel that we are only getting a smidgen of what we know Tinnerholm is capable of.

There was nothing wrong with his performance by any means. Still, there wasn’t much great here.

B+

SuperMax might have struggled quite a bit in Orlando (he most definitely got away with that handball), but the Luxembourg defender sure made up for it this week. Chanot was pesky to DCU’s potent attack all game long and made some fantastic stops — including saving the game midway through the second half — en route to making sure NYCFC earned their first clean sheet this season.

B

Though not as flashy and obvious as his counterpart to the right, Callens was also vital to City’s defense at the back. The Peruvian constantly used his size and technicality to thwart D.C’s attack, and he deserves a good mark for that.

I’ll even forgive that God-awful shot he took in the dying moments of the first half.

Ben Sweat

B+

Defensively speaking, Sweat had one of the worst performances last time out. And with Ronald Matarrita being given a clean bill of health for this game, I was fully expecting for the American to be given the bench.

But Sweat was given a second chance, and he delivered by keeping the ever-dangerous Paul Arriola in his back pocket for the duration. Don’t Sweat the technique! (I’ll see myself out)

A

NYCFC’s first-ever Homegrown Player was one of the brightest spot in last week’s 2-2 draw. And this game saw him make an even bigger justification for his two starts in as many games thus far in 2019.

Simply put, Sands was infallible against D.C. The numbers say it all: 5 tackles, 5 aerial duels won, and 83% passing. That’s quite the performance from a teenager against one of the best attacking sides in MLS.

B

The Ringmaster had a really good game in his own right. And had it not been for Hamid’s brilliance in net, Ring might have had a great game. Overall, I have few complaints about the performance from NYCFC’s captain.

C+

In stark contrast from what we’re used to seeing from City’s resident playmaker, Moralez struggled to make a huge impact upon this one. Though I can’t say he had an intrinsically bad game, we know he’s capable of better.

Jesus Medina

C

Another week, another frustratingly average performance from NYCFC’s Young DP. Much like Maxi, Medina just never found a groove this game. Sure, he completed 92% of his passes. But none of them were extraordinary.

I want to like the kid. But he’s gotta be better.

Alexandru Mitrita

B-

Much like his performance against Orlando, Mitrita showed spurts of brilliance against DCU on Sunday and was only a goal or assist away from truly marking his arrival to the Bronx. The Romanian winger constantly pressured the Black-and-Reds’ back line and threatened goal on a few occasions.

Hopefully, next week will finally yield that first goal.

Taty Castellanos

D+

Taty continues to be a prime example of why NYCFC desperately needs an actual striker at the No. 9 position. The Argentinean could only muster 4 shots all game, only one of which was on target. And though I think his ceiling is high, Castellanos is still the odd man out when it comes to City’s attack at large.

Substitutions

Ismael Tajouri-Shradi

C+

Off the bench, Izzy got pretty close to changing the game for NYCFC. And had it not been for the passing flub from Jonathan Lewis (we’ll get to that), it’s very possible that there would be tangible evidence of that.

The effort and energy were there. But the stars just didn’t align for the Libyan forward.

Jonathan Lewis

F

I honestly cannot believe I’m living in a world where J-Lew gets a grade this low. But, you gotta call it like you see it and City’s most polarizing figure isn’t deserving of anything more than a big ‘F’ for failure.

The Akron had two golden opportunities to put NYCFC ahead late in the game and snatch those three points. But Lewis failed to execute on both. Not cool, man.