A goal and an assist from former New York Red Bulls attacker Caden Clark sinks NYCFC’s hopes of hosting a home playoff game following a 2-0 loss in Montreal on Saturday evening. The two first half efforts were enough to rattle Nick Cushing’s men who forced themselves into dangerous spaces but were unable to find the precision to make a comeback.
Nearly all of the first half statistics were in City’s favor except the one that matter most, goals. Montreal played a conservative and defensive game, opting to attack NYC on the counter when the opportunities presented themselves. The first one came in the 17th minute when Bryce Duke found himself with an open Clark to his left. A strong pass left the young attacker open as he buried the opportunity. That didn’t stop City from pushing forward, finding their best chance off the foot of Tayvon Gray. The ball fell to him in the box but Montreal’s keeper made a big save to keep the score where it was.
Montreal doubled the lead just before the halftime whistle when Clack dribbled into the box and passed the ball to MLS scoring legend Josef Martinez. The former Atlanta star still has his finishing ability as he slid in to double the lead for the home team. City entered the locker room bewildered but continued their push in the second half.
The French-Canadian club looked to continue their tactics in the second half with City continuing to apply the pressure. Even substitutes Julian Fernandez, Andres Perea and Mitja Ilenic were unable to give City the extra power they needed to find a goal. Instead, Montreal bunkered defensively and held one to secure their own playoff hopes and doom NYCFC to a road start in the first round of the playoffs.
With Decision Day complete, City will play FC Cincinnati in a best-of-three series in the MLS Cup Playoffs first round. NYC accomplished the task of qualifying for the playoffs but will feel a bit let down as a win would have seen them finish in their much-desired fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
STARTING XI:
New York City FC: Freese; Gray (61′ Ilenic), Martins, Haak (69′ Perea), O’Toole, Parks, Sands, Wolf (69′ Fernandez), Moralez (79′ Risa), Rodriguez, Martinez
CF Montreal: Sirois; Campbell, Corbo, Alvarez, Marshall-Rutty, Piette (89′ Sosa), Waterman, Edwards, Clark (73′ Ibrahim), Duke, Martinez (73′ Vilsaint)
SCORING SUMMARY:
17′ (CF Montreal) Caden Clark (1) assisted by Bryce Duke and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty
45′ (CF Montreal) Josef Martinez (12) assisted by Caden Clark
DISCIPLINE:
7′ (NYCFC) Justin Haak – YELLOW CARD
59′ (CF Montreal) Caden Clark – YELLOW CARD
69′ (NYCFC) Keaton Parks – YELLOW CARD
88′ (CF Montreal) Joel Waterman – YELLOW CARD
90′ (NYCFC) Birk Risa – YELLOW CARD