BETTER LATE
Jonathan Lewis has a thing for heroics.
Just a game after his first career goal ignited New York City FC against the LA Galaxy, the rookie winger’s extra-time goal pushed NYCFC past the New England Revolution 2-1 in front of 22,415 at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night.
Lewis, who has taken on a larger role in recent weeks, came on as a late substitute for Rodney Wallace in the 86th minute. Shortly after, he connected on wingback Ben Sweat’s cross on the far post, where he cleanly possessed the ball before he rifled one past New England goalkeeper Cody Cropper in the 94th minute.
“[Lewis] is a guy who isn’t afraid,” captain David Villa said. “This is important when you are 19 or 20 years old. … He plays the same way he trains and that’s good for him.”
Lewis’ tally breathed a sigh of relief across Yankee Stadium, as NYCFC escaped what looked like certain disappointment with the Revolution frustrating NYCFC through the late afternoon and into the early night.
On a night when head coach Patrick Vieira admitted NYCFC wasn’t at their best, no part of the game was more frustrating than their uneventful first half. NYCFC registered no shots on target despite holding 65 percent possession. Combined with three corners that amounted to nothing, credit to New England, who benched stars Diego Fagundez and Lee Nguyen, which caught NYCFC, surprised.
“Throughout the game, I think we were getting really frustrated because there wasn’t any space for us to play … [it] made it really difficult for us,” Vieira said.
New England pressed high and played physically, especially on NYCFC’s front three which disrupted the flow of NYCFC’s attacking game.
“They were compact and tough,” Lewis said. “We just had to find a way to play small onetwos with their backline to break them down to find little gaps.”
NYCFC eventually did, but not without some difficulty.
In the second half, Sean Johnson, who had one big save earlier on New England midfielder Kelyn Rowe’s long-distanced effort, muffed a shot by defender Andrew Farrell in front of the box which allowed forward Teal Bunbury to score his fifth goal of the season.
“It took a bit of a weird bounce,” Johnson said about his blunder. “It checks up and goes into my chest rather than where I thought it would be. It’s life. It happens.”
After New England’s goal, NYCFC’s attacked continued to struggle — especially without midfielder Alex Ring, who served a one-game yellow- card accumulation suspension. But Vieira used all three substitutes to bring on forwards Khiry Shelton, Ugo Okoli and Lewis, which Vieira credited to changing the match and moved NYCFC into full-on attack.
“We are were we are because we are a team and the people who [come] from the bench always bring something to the team,” Vieira said.
His moves paid off by way of Villa, who scored his 19th of the season after Sweat’s deflected cross bobbled through bodies in front of New England’s goalmouth, where Villa smacked it in. It was Villa’s ninth goal in the last seven games.
While NYCFC (46 points) has started to cement themselves in second place, especially after third-place Chicago Fire lost to Toronto FC on Saturday, it’s become clear that NYCFC can compete for the Supporters Shield, but Vieira thinks otherwise despite being four points off Toronto.
“I believe Toronto are already the champions,” Vieira said. “I think as a team we will fight for the second spot and Toronto will win the league. … I don’t think anybody will catch them.” kschnitzer@nypost.com