City 1 - 2 NYRB

• Another friendly, another loss. What a typical disappointment for typical City. It actually wasn't that bad, and some of the young players looked good. Against a team half way through their MLS season it was fine.
  

• The first half was an improvement on the opening of the Sporting Lisbon game. We gave up on that diamond, playing 4-4-2 from the start. Stephen Ireland was pushed out onto the right - which was a shame - while Jô partnered Emmanuel Adebayor up front. We had more of the ball, and while we didn't always get the strikers involved when we did they tended to create chances. This owed a fair bit to poor defending but Jô and Adebayor had identical opportunities in the inside-left channel and hit both at Red Bulls 'keeper Bouna Coundoul.

• But on the break the Red Bulls were very effective. Dane Richards, Macoumba Kandji and Thierry Henry were all very athletic - they looked like a side half-way through their season - and they carved us open a few times. Richards was doing to Bridge what Aaron Lennon did to Sylvinho last summer, burning past his outside at will. Ben Mee and Dedryck Boyata were unable to deal with Kandji and Henry's movement, and so when Kandji bundled in Richards' cross it was no surprise.
  

• Our equaliser early in the second half was deserved. Tutte played in the substitute Greg Cunningham down the left who whipped in a low cross. Jô, at the near post, turned it in for his second goal of the summer. The move started with Alex Nimely - sparky and strong throughout - drifting in off the right to start the move. Nimely then moved up front as Jô was replaced by Adam Johnson, who was our best player of the second half.

• We looked the likely winners until Dane Richards, unworried by Bridge in a field of space, hit a twenty five yard shot into the top corner. NYRB passed the ball round well when ahead and while Johnson had some very good moments - reminding us what he can do to bad left-backs - we didn't get the second goal we probably deserved. The game finished 2-1.

• So we didn't win the Barclay's New York Football Challenge, and our 34 year wait continues. But there were more positives here than two defeats might suggest. Today we had some promising stuff for Alex Nimely and Andrew Tutte, and a reminder of what Adam Johnson is capable of. Now it's Club América on Wednesday night.