New York City FC successfully began their four game away trip in The City of Saints against The Impact.
Here are Five Points from the impressive 2-0 victory in Montreal...
Montreal Men
The Boys in Blue are finding their rhythm and climbing the MLS Eastern Conference ranks, now only five points removed from first place after City staged a complete performance at the Stade Saputo on Saturday.
New York City handed Montreal their first home loss of the season and remain unbeaten all-time in MTL since entering the league in 2015. The City Boys have now kept two clean sheets vs. the Impact this season, but it was great to see the goals flying in early in each half this time.
Dome Torrent on the win: We didn’t play well against Montreal at Yankee Stadium. I remember they played with one player down. Even so, we weren’t able to create chances. We played much better here. But you are a genius when you are able to win the game and you are a bad coach when you are not able to win a game.
Rocket Ismael
After firing his club-leading third goal of the season, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi is the offensive Draw Four in Dome Torrent's deck of UNO cards. Isi’s ability to make something happen in small spaces continues to be a revelation for The Boys In Blue, as it has been since the moment he stepped into the camp during Preseason 2018 in Los Angeles.
Solid Foundation
Since switching to a consistent system, New York City has won three of the last four matches, and the performances keep getting better and better. The NYCFC defense is stout with three central defenders, and the possession in between the lines has allowed the wings to combine and create a number of quality scoring chances up front.
Dome Torrent on success behind the shift in formation: Maybe [the players] are more comfortable with this system because we defend really well and when we have the ball, we have two players wide, two players in between the lines. My feeling is they are happy to play in this system, 3-4-3.
Maxi Magic
With a goal and an assist, Maxi Moralez was back on the front foot Saturday. After fighting off a few injuries to start April, and unluckily hitting the woodwork on several occasions in recent weeks, Moralez has found his groove once more as the number 10 spinning the webs in attack.
Clean Sheets
It’s been laser focus from the whole team since the first half in Minnesota, and it starts with #1. Sean Johnson is tied for first in the league in clean sheets with five, and the NYCFC keeper has commanded the back and been rock solid in goal when called upon over the past handful of matches. With only one loss on the year, New York City has managed to fly under the radar and are now finding their form.
While winning is the best medicine, it’s the foundation of this group - the mental toughness and togetherness throughout the squad - which will have NYC pushing for the top spot.
