Nick Cushing 'happy' to finally get first win as NYCFC interim boss
By Chris Smith
It took six attempts, but Nick Cushing finally tasted victory for the first time as interim head coach of New York City FC.
The Englishman took over last month following the shock departure of MLS Cup-winning boss Ronny Deila to Belgian side Standard Liege.
But despite inheriting a team rich with talent in all areas and on a strong run of form, Cushing failed to deliver a victory across his opening five games. NYCFC could only manage three draws and a defeat from four MLS games, while they crashed out of the US Open Cup with a 3-0 loss to rivals the New York Red Bulls.
That all changed on Saturday when the Cityzens beat the New England Revolution 4-2 at Yankee Field. It was a frantic game where NYCFC continued to show defensive flaws and needed three first-half penalties (missing one of them), but all that matters now is the result going in the 'W' column.
"We're happy to get the win," Cushing said after the match. "For us, it was about getting back to winning ways at home. We have a really good record here at Yankee Stadium. Obviously drawing the previous two games here, even though we thought we played well, we wanted to get back to winning ways.
"We’re really happy with the performance today. We created a lot of chances - maybe we could have scored more goals - but to score four goals at home and take a win, we’re really happy with that."
The win sees NYCFC return to second in the Eastern Conference, just a point behind leaders the Philadelphia Union, who thrashed DC United 7-0 on Friday.
Next up for Cushing's side is a trip to FC Dallas on Wednesday before a Rivalry Week clash with the Red Bulls next weekend.