New York City FC have their first winning streak of 2016 as a pair of second-half goals from David Villa and Khiry Shelton gave the visitors a 2-0 win against D.C. United on Sunday night.
After a first half largely devoid of scoring chances, NYCFC found an opening just four minutes after halftime as Villa's low shot via good work from Shelton and Tommy McNamara beat D.C. 'keeper Travis Worra. Four minutes later, Shelton followed that up by soaring to redirect the ball inside the far post.
Marcelo Sarvas hit the post with a free kick, but D.C. couldn't find a breakthrough in a game that saw Patrick Nyarko leave early because of illness.
Box Score
- 49’ – NYC – David Villa (Tommy McNamara, Khiry Shelton)
- 53’ – NYC – Khiry Shelton (Ronald Matarrita)
- Full box score
- Stats
- Watch highlights
Three Things
1. GOLDEN TOUCH: Villa didn't get much service, but he did exactly what he needed to when he got a look: Grip it and rip it. The Spaniard's goal was his seventh of the season, tying him atop the MLS goalscoring leaderboard with Chris Wondolowski and Fanendo Adi.
2. TOMMY GUN: Villa's the star, but McNamara's the straw that stirs the drink. He got the assist on Villa's goal, and it was his off-the-ball work and hustle that kept the play alive for Shelton's coup de grace.
3. BUGGIN' OUT: Nyarko's illness played a key role, as United weren't able to exploit the space left behind by NYCFC's overlapping fullbacks. They ended up failing to generate a single shot on goal in what was a dispiriting result.
Next Up
- DC: Friday vs. New York Red Bulls (7 pm ET, UniMas)
- NYC: Sunday at Portland (7:30 pm ET, FS1)
