New York City FC recorded a 2-0 win against CF Montréal on Wednesday night.
A brace from Alonso Martínez handed City the win at Citi Field.
Here are Five Points from the game...
Quick Strike
Not for the first time this season New York City FC found the net early into the contest.
Alonso Martínez’s strike in the ninth minute was a rich reward for a bright start and some quick thinking from Hannes Wolf. The Austrian’s first-time pass to Martínez put the striker through on goal to score.
In a matter of moments Montréal had been put on the back foot and now needed to alter their game plan if they stood any chance of taking points from the game. Nick Cushing has consistently asked his team to attack and be aggressive. The players’ commitment to that request delivered an early goal and a perfect start to Wednesday’s game.
Wolf x Martínez
The similarity between City’s two goals was evident for all to see.
Both were inspired by a Hannes Wolf pass to Alonso Martínez, with the pair’s chemistry causing havoc for Montréal’s defense.
Wolf’s willingness to be both direct and precise rewarded Martínez’s intelligent runs behind the backline.
The Costa Rican’s sharp finishes took him to eight goals for the season, while Wolf now has six assists. Nick Cushing challenged City’s strikers to stake a claim for the starting spot and Martínez did not harm his chances – thanks to a little help from Wolf.
Turnover
New York City knew going into Wednesday’s game this would be a battle for the ball.
With possession at a premium, it emphasized what you chose to do with the ball, and in City’s case, they tried to take decisive action as quickly as possible.
For both the first and second goals, City were able to win the ball back and get a shot away with only a few passes.
That willingness and confidence to be direct when the opportunity presents itself was hugely influential on the night.
Clean Sheet
“Matt Freese deserves clean sheets,” Nick Cushing said after Wednesday’s win.
The shot-stopper has been in imperious form during 2024 for New York City FC, and he added to his catalog of great saves on Wednesday to deny Kwadwo Opoku in the first half.
Several further great saves followed to keep City’s clean sheet intact with Wednesday’s shutout representing Freese’s fourth of the campaign.
In the wider picture, the confidence boost of a clean sheet should help City’s continued efforts to be defensively sound and difficult to beat.
Happy Homestead
After some tough results on the road, the players and staff were determined to return to winning ways at home.
They needed to take points from these two games and by claiming wins in both they have kept pace with the pack at the top of the Eastern Conference and pushed themselves into the top four.
The challenge now is to repeat that form in the four upcoming road games. The Boys in Blue can take confidence from previous away wins in Toronto, Philadelphia, and New England, with Cushing acknowledging that Saturday’s game against Austin is a chance to convert home form into road form.
