New York City FC stayed unbeaten in the Bronx thanks to an emphatic 3-0 win over Montreal Impact.
Here’s Five Things we learned from another fun one at Yankee Stadium…
Game of Two Halves
City flew out of the blocks and immediately took charge of this one in the opening 20’ with Tommy McNamara shining on his return to the XI but the intensity faded a little in the remaining minutes of the half.
Whatever Domènec Torrent said at the half-time interval certainly had the desired effect as the Boys in Blue turned it up and immediately set about laying siege to Evan Bush’s goal.
There were chances before Jesus Medina rocketed in the opener and, once the levy broke, it stayed broke, as Torrent’s men poured in two more before the final whistle sounded.
Dome told reporters that the second half performance was “close” to the way he likes his teams to play, leaving fans and pundits alike to ponder just how good this team can be with more time under the new boss.
One Pretty Pineapple
The team really put on a show after halftime: all three of NYCFC’s goals were works of art.
Between Medina’s rocket, Ronald Matarrita’s rainbow chip and Jonathan Lewis’s crashing header, the 18k inside Yankee Stadium were treated to a clinic of quality build-up play and clinical finishing.
It was the perfect way to capitalize on the derby win on Sunday, with the MLS Playoffs picture taking shape and NYCFC in contention for all of the season’s loftiest targets.
A pretty pineapple, indeed.
Tight at the Top
Speaking of the standings, this win put NYCFC hot on Atlanta’s heels and the two teams have suggested that they could pull away from the chasing pack with their current form.
City are now just three points behind Tata Martino’s men with one game in hand, meaning another win against Columbus this weekend could see Torrent’s men back atop the Eastern Conference.
That’s three wins from four for Dome now and a 100% record at Yankee Stadium… not a bad start for a man who wasn’t even in the country a month ago.
What a Hit!
When Medina signed for NYCFC, South American football expert Tim Vickery wrote of the Paraguayan’s “booming left foot” as something to look out for upon Jesus’s arrival.
We saw it first-hand on Wednesday night as Medina broke the deadlock with a shot so powerfully struck, Bush did not even move to try and save it.
Medina has grown in influence under Torrent’s tutelage in recent weeks and his goal was just part of an accomplished performance from the club’s first Young DP.
Spark Plug
Entering the game as a substitute with 25’ to go, Lewis had a little longer to impress than he had in his exciting cameo in the Hudson River Derby and he certainly made his minutes count once again.
Jonathan is probably way down the list of NYCFC players you would expect to crash home a powerful header but that’s just what he did, having the confidence to go for goal himself, rather than heading it back across goal as Bush might’ve expected.
It was his third goal for the club, his second of the season and another exciting glimpse at the potential of the 2017 SuperDraft pick.
