Prior to the start of the match, former New York City FC forward and MLS Cup champion Valentín Castellanos was honored and ignited the ceremonial smokestacks. The 2021 Golden Boot winner scored in all three of his appearances during the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, including the opening goal in the MLS Cup Final, helping New York City FC secure its first league title.
New York City FC recorded an emphatic 4-0 win against Atlanta United on Thursday night. A clinical four-goal burst, including a Hannes Wolf brace and strikes from Bakrar and Moralez, capped a dominant performance. Tomás Romero impressed on his MLS debut, while City’s high press and attacking fluency sealed their biggest win yet under Pascal Jansen.
New York City FC 4 Atlanta United 0
Report by NYCFC.com
A warm summer evening in the Bronx set the stage for New York City FC’s Thursday night clash against Atlanta United.
Eager to build on their spirited 2-2 draw with Nashville SC, City entered the contest with purpose. Head Coach Pascal Jansen made five changes to the lineup, notably handing Tomás Romero his MLS debut in goal.
First Half
The home side started brightly, pressing high and forcing several early corners. Their first real chance came in the ninth minute, when Justin Haak found space in the box and let fly, only to see his effort blocked by Alexey Miranchuk.
Moments later, captain Thiago Martins rose highest to meet a corner with a thundering header, drawing a sharp save from Atlanta’s veteran goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Atlanta struggled to create much going forward until the 32nd minute, when Miranchuk nearly turned the tide with a powerful strike from distance that rattled the crossbar. Just five minutes later, the visitors thought they had taken the lead. Derrick Williams met a corner with a strong header, and Jamal Thiaré turned it over the line — only to see the goal ruled out for offside.
City took full advantage of the reprieve. Just before halftime, Maxi Moralez forced a poor pass from Brooks Lennon, that allowed Hannes Wolf to intercept the ball deep in Atlanta territory.
The Austrian quickly found Moralez, who in turn made no mistake, coolly slotting the ball past Guzan at his near post to give City a deserved 1-0 lead.
Second Half
City began the second half with electric intent, scoring three goals in a breathtaking five-minute spell that stunned the visitors.
The flurry began in the 54th minute when Mounsef Bakrar found the net. Having been denied just moments earlier, the Algerian striker responded in emphatic fashion, firing a crisp first-time finish from the edge of the box to double City’s lead.
Barely three minutes later, it was 3-0. A sweeping counter-attack saw Maxi Moralez turn creator, slipping a perfectly timed pass to Hannes Wolf. The Austrian forward made no mistake, bending a precise shot beyond Brad Guzan.
City weren’t done. In the 59th minute, Wolf struck again. This time, Justin Haak unlocked Atlanta’s high defensive line with a superb through ball.
Wolf raced onto it and showed ice-cold composure, dinking the ball over the onrushing Guzan to seal his brace and City’s fourth of the night.
Jansen turned to his bench for the first time on the 73rd minute to make a triple substitution. On came Kevin O’Toole, Nico Cavallo, and Tayvon Gray, in place of Strahinja Tanasijevič, Birk Risa, and Agustín Ojeda.
Atlanta continued to look for a route back into the game and that saw Miranchuk fire off a shot that required a last ditch block from Haak to divert it away from goal.
Bakrar’s night would end in the 78th minute as he was replaced by Seymour Reid. City’s final change of the night saw Jonathan Shore replace Julián Fernández.
City would ride out the rest of the game to confirm an emphatic 4-0 win at home—their biggest winning margin of the Pascal Jansen era so far.
Next Game For NYCFC
The ‘Boys in Blue’ end the month on the road at Stade Saputo as they face CF Montréal on Saturday, June 28, at 7:30pm ET. | Apple TV: MLS Season Pass | Radio (English/Spanish) newyorkcityfc.com/radio
