BRONX | For the third straight match, New York City FC suffered late-game heartbreak.
Dairon Asprilla’s shot in the 79th minute took a deflection and agonizingly ended up in the back of the net as the Portland Timbers eked out a 1-0 victory in front of 21,891 on Sunday evening at Yankee Stadium.
New York City FC falls to 1-3-3 (6 points) while Portland improves to 2-2-3 (9 points).
Darlington Nagbe picked up the ball near midfield and darted forward. He made it as far as the 18-yard box before Jeb Brovsky slid in to knock the ball away. New York City FC couldn’t clear the danger as Gaston Fernandez latched onto it. The ball squirted further to the path of Asprilla, who let loose a shot that took a deflection off defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe and went into the net.
On Sunday night, New York City FC came out the aggressor, despite being without three starters. Captain David Villa (hamstring), midfielder Mix Diskerud (ankle) and defender Jason Hernandez (calf) were all sidelined. Khiry Shelton and Javier Calle made their second-consecutive starts, while former New England Revolution teammates Patrick Mullins and Tony Taylor (debut) began the match up top.
Mullins’ left-footed blast in the 16th was the best chance early on, but Portland goalie Adam Kwarasey punched it away. The keeper was vital again, putting Ned Grabavoy under pressure to block his shot in the 28th minute.
The teams went into the locker room scoreless at halftime.
Portland put the home side under pressure early in the second half. New York City FC was called for a deliberate back pass, setting up the Timbers with a direct free kick near the 18-yard box. Fanendo Adi’s blast was deflected by Watson-Siriboe for a corner.
New York City FC had a great chance to take the advantage in the 58th. Medhi Ballouchy held up the ball like a quarterback in the pocket waiting for a receiver to get open as Mullins made a darting run between two defenders into the box. The midfielder threaded the needle, but Mullins shot was pushed away by Kwarasey.
New York City FC returns to action on Friday against the Chicago Fire. Kickoff from Toyota Park is set for 8 p.m. EDT.