New York City FC are left looking for answers after their 1-0 loss to CF Montreal, a loss that sees the club drop the regular season series against the Canadian outfit. What’s more is that assistant coach Mehdi Ballouchy was left frustrated in his first time behind the bench. The club fell into a similar trap of being unable to maintain their intensity for the full 90 minutes.
“We didn’t have the right intensity,” said Ballouchy. “It took to halftime for us to kind of get going again. The second half was much better. We had control, we were in the final third but we just lacked that last little play.”
City were missing major parts of their lineup due to call-ups. Alonso Martinez and Matt Freese are big pieces that could have swayed the contest. Still, the club will focus on the players on the field who could have, and potentially should have, found moments in the game to defeat a team that has struggled in the league.
What was on the field are pieces that many have questioned in the past. Agustin Ojeda has found himself struggling for form, Mounsef Bakrar has been unable to find his scoring form despite getting major opportunity and Tomas Romero did little to set himself apart from the club’s star starter.
“I think we attacked and tried to do things the best way possible,” said winger Julian Fernandez. “We weren’t able to manage the final part of of the field and the final third very well. That made things a bit complicated.”
NYC’s loss did damage to their playoff standing, tumbling to ninth place with Charlotte FC nipping at their heels. The team will take the field again, this time back home against Toronto FC, another team that has struggled in 2025.
photo by Jordan Bank