The New England Revolution have needed to improve their finishing ability in the final third, and Dániel Gazdag might be the answer to their problems.
While the Revolution secured an early lead against New York City FC on Wednesday, their attack was largely underperforming. After scoring in the 12th minute thanks to a Carles Gil penalty kick conversion, New England largely sat back and bunkered down in its own third.
The second half unfolded differently. New England took a more aggressive approach and generated several scoring chances, but failed to capitalize.
This has been an issue that has plagued New England. While particularly the No. 9 position has struggled to produce, numerous players missed high-quality chances on Wednesday evening. This almost cost New England points as NYCFC drew level in the 72nd minute.
But then Gazdag entered the match.
The 30-year-old replaced Dor Turgeman in the 72nd minute. He brought a new dynamic to the match, occasionally drifting wide to get on the ball. While he has been in New England for just a week, he has built chemistry with his teammates and combined well with them on Wednesday.
In the 85th minute, it appeared like Gazdag had secured three points for New England. An error by NYCFC gifted the ball to the New England forward in front of an empty goal for Gazdag to simply tap the ball in.
"Honestly, I was so happy at first when I scored [the goal that was called offside], because I thought that was the easiest goal I ever scored in my life," Gazdag said after the match. "Obviously, after two minutes, when they called it offside, I was a little bit sad, I would say. But I was thinking that we had 10 minutes left, and we actually had good momentum, so I was like, let's push for another goal."
Gazdag would eventually get his game-winner. He calmly chested a cross in stoppage time downwards, and in a blink of an eye blasted a shot into the back of the net.
“If we speak about Dániel [Gazdag] – we spoke after the last two games about what and how Dániel can help us – we see his strength is exactly what he did tonight," Marko Mitrovic said after the win. "He is very, very good in the box. He knows to be in the right spot at the right time and also has the calmness to convert those opportunities. We are still learning about Dániel; he has been with us now for just about a week. With this stretch of games, we didn’t have much time to practice. Everything is more like video and talk rather than having the opportunity to work during training sessions. But we believe that once we get going even more, we learn more about Dániel and he learns more about us, our objective is to put him often in those situations where he was today so he can show his strengths.”
The Revolution has needed a forward to capitalize on the chances created. Too many times, Turgeman has been gifted a great opportunity to only squander the moment.
In reality, Revolution forwards should be having a field day. Jack Harrison is serving up scoring chances on a platter along with Gil. Additionally, Ilay Feingold and Peyton Miller can provide some quality crosses for their teammates.
"I have gotten really good crosses in the first two games I have played," Gazdag said. "Even in LA, I had a good ball from Carles [Gil] that I didn't finish [well]. Obviously, it happens sometimes. We cannot score all the time. I'm really happy with the kind of service I'm getting and the offensive players are getting in the box. I think it helps us a lot, and I think we will be really dangerous this way."
As mentioned by Mitrovic, the Revolution need their striker to be in the right place at the right time. Turgeman in particular seemed like a player who could do this on occasion but has struggled to be consistent.
The sample size needs to be larger, but the goal that Gazdag scored is something that has been completely void in Turgeman's game. The goal was a perfect combination of skill, power, and positioning.
While Gazdag struggled in Columbus, New England's pressing and attacking style seems to suit the 30-year-old.
"I am where I want to be," Gazdag said. "I'm really happy that I scored in my second game with the team, and it gives me a lot of confidence for the future. I think the way we play is really offensive, and we're always on the front foot. It helps offensive players perform."
