New York City FC just got their first-ever road win, coming from behind to beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1 at PPL Park.
The best player wasn't their World Cup-winning DP forward, nor was it his Slovakian international running-mate. It wasn't the former MLS Cup winner in goal, or... well, this is going to be a lot of build-up to say that the best player on the field on light blue was a New York kid with an Ivy League degree and a history with the soccer rocker.
Once upon a time, Tommy McNamara brought back the mullet. And with or without the ridiculous haircut, he's a lot of fun to watch.
His goal – the equalizer – will surely be getting most of the attention in the wake of this one, and I can guarantee you'll see it on Tuesday in AT&T Goal of the Week voting.
Yeah, the "big things" have gone really wrong for NYCFC this season, and McNamara played a part in fixing that on Saturday. But the little things have gone wrong all year as well, and McNamara's work in rectifying that particular SNAFU is what will keep him in the lineup henceforth:
Ben's question isn't rhetorical, it's illustrative. NYCFC have spent most of their year absorbing pressure, and as a team, it's not great if your midfielders are having to spend that much time breaking up attacks.
But if it must be done, then it should be done. McNamara got dirty defensively, and NYCFC wouldn't have held Philly to a lone goal if not for his efforts.
Maybe it's not a blueprint for sustained success, but it worked damn well at stemming the current tide of failure. And for an expansion team that's been pretty much at sea since the first ball was kicked, that's an important step in the right direction.
