Style points were not plentiful, but New York City FC still emerged victorious in their home opener, topping Inter Miami CF 1-0 thanks to a Christopher McVey own goal.
Despite that Miami blunder accounting for all the scoring on the night, there were clear signs of progress for the NYCFC attack. That the starting XI included recently re-arrived Designated Player No 10, Santiago Rodríguez, itself represented progress from Nashville and Chicago.
Santi’s first 2023 start was a far better showing than his cameo in Chicago, and a building block as he acclimatizes to life with this new version of NYCFC.