Road woes come back to haunt NYCFC after 2-0 Decision Day loss to CF Montréal

On Saturday, New York City FC and the rest of Major League Soccer played their final match of the regular season.  The Pigeons entered Decision Day in fifth place, knowing they could finish anywhere from fourth to sixth place in the Eastern Conference.  The only way they had a chance at fourth was to win.  In order to do that, they would have to beat CF Montréal away from home.

Sure, the away record for NYCFC is not the greatest.  In 2024, they have won four times on the road, which is a huge difference compared to the lone 2023 away win.  Funny, enough, that was against Montréal.  The Bronx side has done well against the Canadian team, last losing to them in 2021.  Hence, supporters had some hope before they entered Saturday’s game.

Nick Cushing also stuck with his usual starters.  His changes to the lineup have been minimal, and this fixture was no different.  The only change from the Nashville SC win was that James Sands was in and Birk Risa was out.  Justin Haak, who has been playing well, stepped back into the backline with Thiago Martins.

Guess what?  The road woes came back to haunt them, and NYCFC fell to CF Montréal 2-0.  It was a poor result, especially because a win would have seen them jump into fourth place after Orlando City SC’s loss.

NYCFC loses 2-0 on Decision Day

Montréal wanted to win just as much as NYCFC.  They needed a win or draw to make the playoffs, so it was not shocking the team was driven from the start.  The Pigeons dominated the fixture possession-wise, maintaining about 57%.  They looked like the better team and had 16 shots.

However, the home team was more productive offensively, despite having just five shots.  But it was Caden Clark, the player to watch on his team, who put the Quebec side ahead in the 18th minute.  NYCFC did not play to the whistle, assuming a foul that was 50-50 would be called.  This allowed Bryce Duke to send the ball toward Josef Martínez.  The MLS star instead let the ball fall to Clark, who sent the ball past Matt Freese. 

From that point on, the Bronx team remained the more threatening team, but could not capitalize on their chances.  But it was the end of the first half that sealed their fate on Decision Day.  Martins was too relaxed in the backline, thinking the ball would go out of play while tracking Clark.  The scorer instead had other ideas, speeding up to keep the ball in play and maneuvering around the center-back.  He then sent the ball to Martínez, who scored while falling to the ground. 

As such, NYCFC walked into the locker room at halftime down 2-0 rather than 1-0.  Could Nick Cushing inspire his team at halftime?  Again, they were arguably playing better than Montréal.

The answer was no.  The Boys in Blue had the edge, but that did not matter.  They continued to fight, but could not find the back of the net.  The home side was more in the game during the second 45 minutes, but possession and shots still remained in the favor of the Pigeons. 

Notably, NYCFC sometimes mishit passes into or near the box.  This reduced their chances of getting meaningful shots on target.  Hannes Wolf was notorious for this while he was on the pitch.

In addition, the substitutes by Cushing did not influence NYCFC in the way that they should have.  The team was not improved in any shape or form.  If anything, Mitja Ilenič was probably the best change since he slightly added to the attack.  It was puzzling as to why Maxi Moralez, who was the best player throughout the match, was taken out in the 79th minute for Birk Risa.  Was the head coach conceding the loss before the final whistle was blown?  Hopefully, that is not the case.

When all is said and done, NYCFC struggled to score on the road and make an impactful statement away from home.  The away Hudson River Derby win could not change the trend.  They did not play terribly either.  It must be repeated that they played well.  Alas, the frustrations that came up throughout the season sadly reappeared on Decision Day. 

NYCFC’s mistakes and the inability to capitalize led to their loss.  A win by Charlotte FC saw the team fall into sixth place.  This means the Pigeons will play FC Cincinnati in the first round of the playoffs.  All they needed to do was win.  Instead, they enter the postseason in a not-so-great manner.