At the start of the year NYCFC playing in the MLS cup finals was absurd do most pundits but on Sunday on a sunny day in Philadelphia the club proved all of them wrong. It was not a pretty win against a short-handed Philadelphia Union team, but it was a win, the club’s biggest win ever.
Without golden boot winner, Taty Castellanos, all eyes were on how Ronny Deila would replace that kind of production up front. He turned to a familiar face in the Brazilian, Heber, and started the match with the rest of the roster largely unchanged from the game in New England.
The first half should have been an easier affair but NYCFC came out listless and disjointed. At times it seemed like Jim Curtin’s team, plagued by a midweek COVID outbreak, simply wanted it more. NYCFC limped into halftime looking sloppy and slow.
That would all change in the second half however as NYCFC dominated possession by nearly 70 percent in the the second half and a trio of subs injected some life into NYCFC’s offense. Gudmundur Thorarinsson, Talles Magno, and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi brought a much needed energy to the squad and the game seemed to turn on them.
In the sixty third minute however, Alexander Callens, scored an own goal and all seemed lost again. If Curtin’s side could now simply park the bus they could eek out an upset win at home. NYCFC responded however with frightening speed scoring just ninety seconds later as Maxi Morales drove home a rebound off a rocket of a shot my defender, Maxime Chanot. That was all the team needed as it seemed to break the spirit of the Union with the response.
Dec 5, 2021; Chester, PA, USA; New York City FC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez (center) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Philadelphia Union with forward Talles Magno (left) and midfielder Ismael Tajouri (back) during the second half of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2021 MLS Playoffs at Subaru Park. New York City FC won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
It would take the waning minutes of regulation time for NYCFC to go ahead. Thorarrinson pounced off a lazy defensive play by the Union and won the ball inside the box, He sent a perfect cross in for a streaking Talles Magno to slot perfectly home in the back of the net. The celebrations started in NYC. Magno, just 19 years old, had paid off all the faith the club spent in acquiring him and Thorarrinson again proved he was invaluable to the team, notching two huge assists in the past two games off the bench.
When the final whistle blew, Philadelphia had given it their all and proved themselves more than capable. It was NYCFC however that found a way to win even in a game where they did not play their best. The team has had bigger names in the past but this win and the playoff run signals that the team make up is stronger somehow than in previous years. They overcame and found a way to win.
Dec 5, 2021; Chester, PA, USA; New York City FC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez (10) celebrates with the trophy after beating the Philadelphia Union to win the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2021 MLS Playoffs at Subaru Park. New York City FC won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Ronny Deila spoke to the team’s chemistry after the win. “This Club has been successful coming to the playoffs six times in a row. We haven’t dealt with the pressure before and now we’re starting to do that. I think the learning for the whole Club to win football games and how to deal with that and how to win them when the pressure is on is something you have to learn over time and this Club has gone through a lot already at a young age and today we have for a third time had success and we bring for the first time a trophy to the Club and I’m sure it’s not going to be the last. As I said to the boys, enjoy it because it’s a big big thing, the whole Club has to enjoy it, the supporters everybody because here in the U.S. it’s hard to win. Everybody has the same opportunity and its 28 teams, it’s crazy, so what we have done so far has been just amazing, but the biggest one is coming Saturday. Portland is a tough place. They have been in a final before, we haven’t but we will do everything to get more energy into us before the game and get everything out because then we know we can beat anybody.”
Now all eyes turn to Portland next Saturday. NYCFC with have Castellanos back, but as Deila said, Portland is a tough place to play. Can the team bring the sun they found in the East and let it set with a victory in the West? For NYCFC and for their fans the answer is, “yes.” Now they just have to prove it. Again.
Philadelphia Union
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