George Campbell’s turnover leads to the first of two Alonso Martinez goals as Montreal loses 2-0 to NYCFC.
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Historically, CF Montréal hasn’t had much success against New York City FC, but it’s fair to say the team didn’t help itself on Wednesday night.
Alonso Martinez scored twice, including on a costly turnover, and the bleu-blanc-noir were blanked 2-0 at Citi Field.
The Montreal side was hoping to build momentum after a 4-2 home win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday and halt their eight-game road winless streak. However, a harmless play quickly got them into trouble.
Without being pressured, George Campbell played a poor pass that found the foot of Hannes Wolf. The Austrian sent Martinez on a breakaway and he didn’t miss this golden opportunity.
All this in the ninth minute.
“It’s a mistake we made to put us behind from the outset, but it’s a style of play we want to have,” said Quebecer Nathan Saliba, who was once again wearing the captain’s armband for the match. “We have to learn from that and not be afraid. It’s just a matter of doing things right.”
CF Montréal (5-9-7) did indeed do things better for the rest of the first half, but the contrast was stark in comparison with the game against Philadelphia.
The final third sometimes seemed to lack follow-through and execution. The best example came from Kwadwo Opoku’s foot 10 minutes after the goal. Alone on the right flank in front of goalkeeper Matt Freese, Opoku hesitated and was eventually denied.
“There’s a lack of choices that could maximize our chances in the penalty area. When we do manage to create those moments, there’s a pass that has nothing to do with the phase of the game, there’s a little technical error or we force things that aren’t there. Sometimes, the players hesitate or the other team makes you hesitate. Strangely enough, I sensed moments of control, but then we give a transition chance and get caught,” head coach Laurent Courtois said.
Courtois was referring to Martinez’s second goal, in the second half, when he carved up Montreal’s defence with the help of James Sands and Wolf.
In the end, the Montrealers were again unable to solve their bête noire. They have lost their last six duels against New York City FC (11-8-2), including one in the playoffs in 2022, and haven’t won in their stadium since Aug. 1, 2015.
Every game against New York City FC brings the smallest field inserted into a baseball stadium. Sometimes it’s at Yankee Stadium, but Wednesday it was at the Mets’ home. Some of the sand in the outfield had been covered with grass strips.
This situation, which has already been deplored across the league on several occasions, sometimes gives visiting teams headaches.
“For everyone, it’s a level of adjustment. It’s uneven, too. There’s a lot of adversity from a sporting point of view on this pitch,” goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois said. It makes everything come together more quickly. We did well in the first half, but a little less so in the second.”
Forward Matias Coccaro played the entire second half on Wednesday, after being left in the stands last weekend against the Union. The Uruguayan had lost his temper during a team training session a week ago.
CF Montréal returns to action on Saturday evening, welcoming the Vancouver Whitecaps to Saputo Stadium.