NYCFC spoils Ayrton Preciado coming-out party with late equalizer
New York City FC/MLS
For those not fluent in Spanish, preciado means valuable. Club Sport Emelec forward Ayrton Preciado was exactly that and more in his home debut for his new club, which also coincided with the unveiling of newly upgraded Estadio Banco del Pacifico in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Preciado endeared himself to the Emelec faithful by recording a brace, but ultimately New York City FC rallied from 2-nil down to spoil the stadium christening. NYCFC midfielder John Stertzer slotted home the game-tying goal in the final minute of stoppage time, and the teams settled for a 2-2 draw in a match largely dominated by the home side.
Another Look: John Sterzer levels the score for #NYCFC at the death pic.twitter.com/KaccZsSIvf
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) February 9, 2017
NYCFC looked every bit like a team playing its first preseason game in a different hemisphere, struggling to string possession together while remaining unorganized in the back. An obvious lack of mid-season fitness also caused the visitors to look lethargic.
Surprisingly, NYCFC’s starting XI was littered with regulars, especially in the attack. One of the lone bright spots for City was 16-year-old Academy phenom James Sands, who drew the start playing underneath Andrea Pirlo and Tommy McNamara in a defensive midfield role.
New York City FC/MLS
Sands was out of position at times and received a bloody nose from a blow to the face in the 39th minute, but overall put in a decent shift. The youngster was one of the few light blue shirts consistently flying toward the ball to close space while several teammates jogged around with offseason intensity.
Sands recently turned heads as the first NYCFC Academy player ever called into first-team camp. While the team struggled as a whole against Emelec, he showed flashes of the tenacity and upside that earned him the call up.
NYCFC forward Sean Ugo Okoli‘s performance was another positive takeaway from the match. The 24-year-old made himself dangerous in his short shift, eventually tallying the first goal for the visitors on a beautiful shot from outside the box that found the upper left corner.
Despite the poor performance from NYCFC, not too many conclusions can be drawn considering the rust and deliberate lack of passion expected in a preseason opener. City can at least find solace in eking out an undeserved result as it prepares for its arch-nemesis New York Red Bulls next Wednesday.
