HARRISON, N.J – New York City FC are searching for positives during a difficult stretch of eight straight games without a win, including a 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls in the first-ever meeting between the teams Sunday at Red Bull Arena.
The two biggest positives for NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis combined for the club’s lone goal in that game – R.J. Allen and Patrick Mullins.
After practicing with NYCFC for a week, Allen signed on May 2 and the outside back made his debut 24 hours later when he came off the bench against the Seattle Sounders at Yankee Stadium.
Against the Red Bulls, Allen made his first Major League Soccer start and was a threat down the left side throughout.
READ: NYCFC on eight-game winless skid: "We've hit rock bottom"
“I thought R.J. had a good performance, got forward and assisted well and showed that he was fit to get up and down the line for the entire 90 minutes,” Kreis said after the game. “That wasn’t an easy task tonight.”
Allen, an Old Bridge, N.J., native who was selected fifth overall in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft by Chivas USA but didn’t sign, also picked up his first MLS assist when he played a perfect ball across the face of goal to Mullins in the 76th minute.
“It was great. Pat made a great run on that goal there," Allen told reporters after the game. "All I did was slot the ball in front of them. It was a great find by [Kwadwo] Poku.”
For the second time this year Mullins came off the bench in the second half to score a goal. The 23-year-old scored the insurance marker against his former club in a 2-0 win over the New England Revolution on March 15 and netted his second in a similar fashion to pull NYCFC to within a goal of their local rivals.
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“Patrick has been a guy for me that every time he plays he gives us everything he has. That’s appreciated and quite frankly I think we need more guys who are willing to really give you everything they have,” Kreis said. “He makes intelligent runs to get in behind the back four and he’s on the end of things now with two goals.”
Despite the tally, his second goal in an NYCFC uniform was ultimately a hollow feeling for Mullins.
“It’s fantastic to get a goal, but it means nothing unless we get the result,” Mullins said. “To be honest, I think we can look at ourselves and expect to play better on the day.”
