New York City FC secured a 2-0 victory over Club León in the Leagues Cup on Friday night. Goals from Alonso Martínez and Agustín Ojeda gave the team an early lead, while goalkeeper Matt Freese played a key role with several important saves, including stopping a penalty from James Rodríguez.
Head Coach Pascal Jansen made changes to the starting lineup after the recent loss to Puebla. Maxi Moralez, Tayvon Gray, Kevin O’Toole, and Andrés Perea started in place of Nico Cavallo, Mitja Ilenič, Jonny Shore, and Julián Fernández.
Martínez opened the scoring in the seventh minute after finishing from close range following a corner. He nearly scored again soon after but was denied by Club León’s goalkeeper Óscar Jiménez. On defense, Justin Haak blocked a shot from Óscar Villa to keep NYCFC ahead.
The team extended its lead when Nicolás Fernández Mercau passed to Martínez, who set up Ojeda for NYCFC’s second goal in the 32nd minute. In the second half, Freese saved efforts from Ismael Díaz and then stopped Rodríguez’s penalty after Strahinja Tanasijević was called for handball.
Julián Fernández replaced Martínez as New York City FC managed their lead through substitutions. Moralez had an opportunity against his former club but was unable to score. Later substitutions included Seymour Reid for Fernández Mercau.
Club León continued to look for chances but could not break through NYCFC’s defense or Freese’s goalkeeping. In stoppage time, Reid had a chance to add another goal but saw his effort saved.
New York City FC will next face Toluca in another Leagues Cup match on Tuesday, August 5 at 8:00PM ET.
