Thanks to its last two victories, CF Montreal has gained rhythm and, above all, a greater margin of error in the race for the Major League Soccer (MLS) series, but will not want to give up its gains on Wednesday evening when it finds its nemesis, New York City FC (NYCFC), in the small area of Yankee Stadium.
To say that the powder blue formation has the CF number is an understatement. Not only did NYCFC beat him in the Eastern Conference semifinals last year, but since his Garber debut in 2015, they have suffered just two losses in 18 games against Montreal, including the playoffs. Even though the Big Apple club has struggled this season, as evidenced by its 13th-place finish in the East, it enjoyed a 1-0 win at Saputo Stadium on July 1.
However, head coach Hernan Losada’s team has no interest in offering gifts: remember that they hold the eighth division with 35 points and in the rest of their calendar, with the exception of a duel against the Timbers of Portland, they will offer games against clubs currently in the playoff picture.
Quebec’s Mathieu Choinière is careful not to display excessive confidence despite Saturday’s 1-0 win against the New England Revolution, his club’s third team.
“Of course we look at the rankings a little bit, but we continue to focus on the game plan when we play. Yes, we want to get into the playoffs, that’s important. Whether you have a .500 record or not doesn’t matter much. “The goal is to get into the playoffs and finish as high as possible in the rankings,” he explained at a press conference on Monday.
“It would be good to keep the momentum going by winning games and picking up points. We know this is a very important week. “We are going to face a club that is behind us and we want to make sure we don’t give them any hope of getting back on track,” said Losada, who recalled that NYCFC signed many players in the last transfer window. They will play five games in a row at home and anything is possible. We will be the first visitors in this order and must be ready.
An inhospitable place
If Yankee Stadium is an unwelcome building for the Yankees’ baseball opponents, the same goes for NYCFC’s opponents, who have to contend with a reduced playing surface, forcing the two teams into more intense duels and shortening the duration of possession.
However, the restrictions will be identical for the CF and the local favorites on Wednesday.
“I go there in a good mood,” he said. We all know what the pitch looks like and it’s not easy, but you have to remember that getting there and then fighting to win that game is no excuse.