On Wednesday, New York City FC hosted Tigres UANL in the first leg of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals. The game did not go the Pigeons way as a last-minute goal from Tigres’ Eduardo Vargas secured the 1-0 win for the Mexicans.
But despite the negative outcome, the game illuminated an important piece to the starting XI: Ismael Tajouri-Shradi.
While he did not score, Tajouri-Shradi had a positive overall performance. The 25-year-old moved the ball speedily up the pitch, easing the play into the attacking third. He was continuously thinking on his feet, seeking out teammates to cross the ball to.