New York City FC are one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference as they enter Decision Day with a chance to climb as high as fourth should they defeat CF Montreal on Saturday night. Head coach Nick Cushing knows that the first mission of returning the club to the playoffs is accomplished but that is a much smaller task than what awaits.
“This time last year we were trying to get in and this year we’re in, we’re now fighting for position,” said Cushing in the lead up to tomorrow’s game. “That was the aim and the goal at the start of the year, to be in a position to finish top four. We have that opportunity.”
It is a stark turnaround for City who just one month ago appeared as if they would be battling for a wild card play-in spot. The team went several months without a league win and needed the boost from a massive win over rivals New York Red Bulls to send them on a run. Since that dominant win, the biggest for them in the rivalry’s history, they won games against FC Cincinnati and Nashville to go on a three-game winning streak.
Along the way they have solidified key spots in the lineup, including galvanizing the momentum of star striker Alonso Martinez. Coupled with his interplay alongside Maxi Moralez and Santiago Rodriguez, City have become one of the more potent offenses in the conference and a team that few will want to play in the first round of the playoffs.
“We’ve got the momentum,” said Cushing. “We’ve got a real good feel about the group. There’s energy within the group and that has to continue going into the playoffs. Fourth place is our target, and our eyes are on that.”
The opponents have their own fight that makes them just that much more dangerous. Montreal can still fall completely out of the playoff picture, despite currently sitting in ninth place. Atlanta United and Nashville SC have surged late in the season and hope to take that spot from the French-Canadian hopefuls. For that reason, Montreal represents a much more dangerous opponent than those who are already planning their winter vacations.
City will have to be sharp and won’t be able to rotate players ahead of key playoff fixtures. Not only are they playing for their own positioning but also looking to fend off a foe who has sights set on their own playoff ambitions.
“We’re going to have to be at our best. We’re going to have to be incredibly focused throughout the game because when they play well, they’re a top team.”
photo by Jordan Bank