Match Report, NYCFC 4-1 Montreal; "Home Sweet Home"

Summary

NYCFC celebrated their home opener with a 4-1 overpowering of CF Montreal to secure their first MLS win of the season in style. Fans braved the cold, windy and snowy conditions to come out and see a somewhat amusing banner-hanging celebration, followed by a performance best described as dominant.

Alex Callens Celebrates his 7th Minute Goal (Via NYCFC)

Defender, Alex Callens, opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a thunderous volley off his left boot, after a delicately clipped in ball from Keaton Parks was nodded down by Talles Magno right into the path of the Peruvian international. He took it the same way he took his MLS Cup clinching PK - by hitting it hard.

Then, after a misplaced Victor Wanyama pass, Santi Rodriguez picked up the ball just outside the box, spotted Breza off his line, and calmly lobbed lobbed the keeper to double NYCFC’s advantage. It was the mark of a player with real confidence at the moment, as Santi is coming off a goal and an assist against Comunicaciones in CCL play this past week.

Santi Rodriguez Putting in Another Strong Performance (via NYCFC)

But, Montreal made things a bit nerve-racking for the NYCFC faithful, when they found a goal courtesy of Zachary Brault-Gullard, making it 2-1 just minutes after the break. And, the visitors threatened again only minutes later when Romell Quioto found the back of the net in the 61st minute, only to be flagged offside by the linemen.

But after this brief scare of attacking play from Montreal, The Pigeons took over the game for good with a thumping header from Talles Magno in the 64th minute. The Brazilian attacked a well-placed Andres Jasson cross, and barreled through a pair of Montreal defenders to force it home.

The Icing on the cake was a nice moment for substitute, Thiago Andrade, in the 83rd minute, who’s high defensive work rate won him the ball off of Kamal Miller. The Brazilian made the most of the chance he created for himself, and found the bottom corner to finish off the scoring at 4-1.

NYCFC Fans Brave the Elements in Yankee Stadium (via NYCFC)

NYCFC enjoyed their victory on the wind-chilled Saturday afternoon at home, but will be looking for another big result this Tuesday in the decisive leg of the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal down in Guatemala. The Boys in Blue carry a 3-1 aggregate lead into their second clash against Comunicaciones in as many weeks.

And so, as always, lets look into the positives and negatives for the 2022 home opener for the defending MLS Cup champions.

Positives

1) Home at last

NYCFC have finally returned to Yankee Stadium after a long road trip that saw them just about all over the continent in the past few weeks. And, after having to wait for the 3rd match of the MLS season for their first home game, the fans were just as excited to be back at Yankee Stadium as the players surely were.

NYCFC Players Thank the Fans After The Match (via NYCFC)

And, NYCFC continued their dominance at the weird, triangular, cavernous place they call home, providing a performance fit for the champions of MLS that they are. A high-scoring win like that in a home opener just sets good vibes all around, and puts the memories of their first two underwhelming road performances in the rearview mirror. All around - a great day at the office.

2) Talles Magno on the scoresheet again

All goals count the same on the scoresheet, but there’s just something a little sweeter about goals that come from your high-profile players. The guys that should be scoring goals, are the guys that you want to be scoring goals. So, Talles Magno being the young, expensive, and exciting player that he is, makes him getting on the scoresheet regularly an invigorating prospect for NYCFC fans.

Talles Magno Celebrates his Goal vs Montreal (via NYCFC)

It’s always been clear that the youthful Brazilian is talented, fun to watch, and has a lot of potential ahead of him. But, regularly getting on the scoresheet is what will differentiate him from the other up-and-coming prospects in MLS. And, with three goals and an assist now already this season, all signs are pointing towards Talles Magno having a breakout year.

3) Momentum building…

Coming off of a 3-1 performance against Comunicaciones midweek, and now a 4-1 statement against Montreal, the Cityzens appeared to have shaken off their attacking woes that plagued them in their back-to-back shutouts to start the campaign. Now, with 7 goals in their last two games, any of those questions about attacking their output have surely been answered. This team is still hugely threatening in attack.

Skipper, Ronny Deila, Embraces Thiago Andrade After the Win (via NYCFC)

Given the atmosphere their away fans were able to create in Connecticut last week, Comunicaciones will surely be looking to provide a difficult test for NYCFC to navigate down in Guatemala on Tuesday night. And while they carry a 2-goal lead on aggregate going into the tie, this big victory on Saturday will surely just put an extra bit swagger in the step of City as they look to seal the deal and advance to the semi-finals.

The Negatives

1) The Weather

When I had March 12th circled on my calendar as NYCFC’s home opener, I didn’t necessarily expect it to be the nicest day ever…but I didn’t expect this either. It was just an absolutely miserable day in New York, with temperatures dropping below freezing, winds picking up into 30-40mph gusts, and rain, hail and snow all arriving in the same afternoon. And, while many passionate NYCFC fans still made it out to Yankee Stadium on the day, it didn’t quite look like the attendance that the reigning MLS Cup Champions should have in their first home match since lifting the trophy.

I think (I hope) that the weather kept some people at home this week, and that some more reasonable conditions, along with an increasingly bubbling rivalry with Philly, will see more fans in attendance against the Union this coming Saturday.

2) The Banner

The club was practically begging for the banter they’re receiving for the banner they unveiled in a pre-match ceremony to celebrate their MLS Cup victory last year. Stretching maybe 5 feet wide in total, it is basically invisible in the vast bleachers of Yankee Stadium. I genuinely can’t believe that no one at the club thought the optics of this would look as bad as they do, but here we are. As a club that is constantly taking comments about being “homeless”, being “Man City Lite”, about being second-class tenants to the Yankees, this tiny banner is fuel to all of those flames. It just looks ridiculous.

NYCFC's "Banner" Unveiled at Yankee Stadium (via MLS Buzz)

It's especially embarrassing for the club when you consider the fact that NYCFC fans themselves regularly bring in bigger banners to the stadium in the form of tifo. These banners are handmade by the supporters themselves, and they're brought to the the stadium for single-match use all the time. But NYCFC and City Football Group, with the millions and millions of dollars they have, can’t secure a proper banner to celebrate winning the whole damn thing? It was just a weak effort from the club here, and only makes us feel even less valued in Yankee Stadium.