James Sands netted a stoppage-time goal to help New York City FC secure a 1-1 draw against the New England Revolution on Sunday, ending the club's four-game losing streak. The result at Gillette Stadium provided NYCFC with a much-needed point after a challenging period.
The past week saw NYCFC suffer consecutive defeats, including a loss where they surrendered a two-goal lead to the Philadelphia Union and a subsequent 2-1 setback against FC Cincinnati after conceding in the final minute. Prior to Sunday's match, the team's record since their last victory on July 25 against the Chicago Fire stood at 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses across both Leagues Cup and MLS play.
New England took an early lead in the 36th minute when Dor Turgeman scored, capitalizing on a well-placed pass from Peyton Miller. Sands equalized for NYCFC approximately ten minutes later, firing a shot from close range after receiving a headed assist from Talles Magno off a corner kick. Magno was later substituted in the second half due to a muscle pull in his leg, according to head coach Pascal Jansen.
"The fact of the matter is, we are coming off a few bad results. Played pretty decent in the majority of the games, but didn’t get the results that we were looking for," Jansen said after the match. "In this game, knowing that you play against the Revs in good shape, good form, at home, it’s very important that you stay in the game. And the second half was clearly a factor of both teams getting more fatigued as the game went on.
"And then you come to a point where you have to settle for a draw, and that is what we needed in order to get away from the performances that we’ve made so far."