A drama-filled duel between NYCFC II and New England Revolution II at Belson Stadium in Queens, NY, ended in a 2-2 draw, leading to MLS NEXT Pro’s first-ever shootout. The game had all the ingredients of an exciting night: wind, snow, penalties, goals, lots of emotions and a historic shootout. The visiting team emerged victorious 4-3, taking one extra point and becoming the first team to win an away game in MLS NEXT Pro.
Damian "Tico" Rivera scored twice for New England Revolution II and NYC II got goals from forward John Denis and defender Christopher Gloster in a back-and-forth contest..
The match kicked off with an intense first half which showed high quality from both teams. Revs II surprised the host team with an early goal at the 7th minute by Rivera who took advantage of a defensive mistake to score the team’s first-ever goal.
Just three minutes later, the tri-state team tied the match following a magnificent play and a great assist by Kevin O’Toole, who touched it with his heel to Denis, who scored to equalize. In the 28th minute, a penalty was awarded to Revs II’s Rivera for a chance to reestablish the lead. However, NYCFC II goalkeeper Luis Barraza stopped the shot to deny “Tico.”
A second penalty came in the 34th minute, this time awarded to the home side. Gloster took the shot to give the hosts the lead at 2-1.
When everything seemed to play out in favor for the sky blue team, Rivera converted once again in the 70th minute, earning his first brace. In the remaining 20 minutes, both teams became more cautious and the intensity decreased until the referee blew the final whistle.
The Story: first ever MLS NEXT Pro shootout
One of the unique things about MLS NEXT Pro is that no game will ever end in a draw. Yes, some traditionalists or soccer-purists may disagree with what the league is doing; however, the amount of pressure involved in taking a penalty kick is substantially higher than most other events in soccer, at least that is what many professional players say.
The unprecedented advantage that MLS NEXT Pro players will have over others is that they will know what it is like to feel the pressure of scoring a game-winning shot. It is one thing to kick a penalty in regulation, which is tough enough, but to execute a from the penalty mark when the game is on the line, is a different story.
This match marked the first time in MLS NEXT Pro that two teams would feel that pressure. And if you look at the tape below, you can see that some made it look effortless. In a shootout, one team must win, and another goes down; this time around, New York City Football Club II tasted defeat. Despite having converted their first three penalties, the home team fell apart at the tail end of the series.
Barraza made a stunning save on a Revs II attempt, but later, NYCFC II hit the crossbar in the first of back-to-back misses to set the stage for the visitors to get the 4-3 shootout victory earn two points. The silver lining for NYC II is that they get to keep one point for the regulation draw.
