Road goal drought haunts NYCFC ahead of visit to Austin FC

Field Level Media|published: Fri 5th July, 20:56 2024

Jun 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York City FC forward Alonso Martinez (16) brings the ball up the pitch against the Columbus Crew during the first half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York City FC have struggled on the road and will need to show an improved attack when they travel to play struggling Austin FC on Saturday for the first-ever meeting between the clubs.

Austin FC have been tough to beat at home, with five wins and three draws in their 10 contests this year, while New York City FC are 3-5-1 away from home in 2024.

NYCFC (11-8-2, 35 points) head to Austin after a 2-0 win at home over CF Montreal on Wednesday, their second win in a span of six days. Alonso Martinez scored both goals on assists from Hannes Wolf.

Martinez is tied with Santiago Rodriguez for the NYCFC lead with eight goals, while Rodriguez paces the side with seven assists.

"We now head into Austin with a chance to produce a performance that will give us a win," NYCFC coach Nick Cushing said after Wednesday's win. "The guys know what they need to do, but it's about drilling it and being consistent. In Austin, we have a huge opportunity to (produce) the performance we know gives us the best opportunity to win."

NYCFC have not won on the road since beating New England 1-0 on May 25, losing twice since then and being held without a goal in both matches.

Saturday's match is the first of four straight on the road for NYCFC, who are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference on the strength of seven wins their past 10 matches.

Austin FC (7-8-6, 27 points) have won just once in their past six matches and earned only four points while dropping into 10th place in the Western Conference and below the playoff line.

Austin's most recent outing was a 2-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City on June 29, when it had just two shots and none on goal.

Both of those shots came from Jader Obrian, who is tied with Sebastian Driussi for the team lead in goals with five. Austin FC's 23 goals are the fewest among all Western Conference clubs.

"We need to win," Austin coach Josh Wolff said. "Our objective from the get-go was to be a playoff team. But we didn't get too carried away when we were doing well, and we're not going to get too feathered when we're not.

"When we're at home, we seem to generate a lot more chances and more goals. We've got to do better."

--Field Level Media

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