NYCFC heads to MLS Eastern Conference final with road win vs. CF Montreal
Teammates pile up on NYCFC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez following his goal against CF Montreal during the first half of an MLS Eastern Conference semifinals soccer game in Montreal, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. Credit: AP/Paul Chiasson
NYCFC by no means played ugly in Sunday’s MLS Eastern Conference semifinal against CF Montreal, but after an elegant early goal and a subsequent injury, adjustments certainly were necessary to keep its championship defense alive.
No problem for an NYCFC squad with memories and experience from last year’s run, confident it can become the first back-to-back MLS Cup winners in a decade.
After a stylish team goal just six minutes into Sunday’s match, NYCFC overcame an injury to veteran centerback Maxime Chanot by adjusting formation a few times and utilizing its counterattack, holding off CF Montreal and finding the net twice more to win, 3-1, at Stade Saputo in Montreal.
"The two playoff games have shown two sides of our game," said interim coach Nick Cushing. "[Against] Miami, we played a lot of football, we were dominant. Here, we played some football, were deadly on the counterattack and we showed that we can suffer and defend the box. So, I think that gives everybody a lift, knowing that as long as we play the moment we have a good chance to get results against anybody."
NYCFC will visit the Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference final next Sunday, the second consecutive season the teams have met for a chance at MLS Cup.
Maxi Moralez put NYCFC ahead quickly, gathering a cross after an impressive give-and-go play by Anton Tinnerholm and Santiago Rodriguez. Not long after, City was forced into an early change when Chanot landed awkwardly jumping for a ball in the air, aggravating a previous injury. Keaton Parks entered for Chanot in the 14th minute, with NYCFC changing its shape slightly to allow Parks to play centrally with just two centerbacks behind the midfield.
CF Montreal took the opportunity to attack. The home side controlled possession for the rest of the half. Montreal attacker Kei Kamara put a header off the post in the 16th minute. The subsequent corner kick saw a shot cross the line, but a coordinated City defense meant Montreal was offside. NYCFC keeper and captain Sean Johnson was forced into a handful of diving stops.
Despite all the pressure by Montreal, the next goal came for NYCFC. A turnover in midfield with Montreal pressing left its defense exposed, and after Moralez found Rodriguez with a pass to the right, Rodriguez slotted a pass through the box into the path of Héber, who easily put New York City up 2-0 in stoppage time to close the first half.
With a secure lead, interim coach Nick Cushing looked for a way to solidify the defense after being overwhelmed at times. He found it with homegrown defender Justin Haak, who replaced Maxi Moralez at the break, allowing NYCFC to play the three-centerback formation it had grown accustomed to in its strong finish to the regular season.
Extra insurance came in the 60th minute when Montreal keeper James Pantemis came off his line and fouled Gabriel Pereira for a textbook penalty call. Talles Magno, who subbed in just three minutes earlier and missed last week’s first-round win vs. Inter Miami CF, rolled a soft shot over the line and past Pantemis for City’s third.
Montreal pulled one back in the 85th minute on a header by Djorde Mihailovic misplayed by Johnson, but the work required for City to move on was long finished.
Ryan Gerbosi is an internet news manager for sports at Newsday.com. He also covers NYCFC and mixed martial arts and believes the designated hitter should be banned from baseball.
