CF Montréal Goals: Owusu 18'
New York City FC Goals:
Quick Read
New York City FC fell 1-0 to CF Montréal on the road after conceding early through Prince Owusu. Despite creating several good chances the Boys in Blue could not find an equalizer, and were reduced to ten men when Tayvon Gray collected two yellow cards.
Match Recap
New York City FC were north of the border on Saturday as they took on CF Montréal at Stade Saputo.
Head Coach Pascal Jansen made two changes to the team that drew with FC Cincinnati midweek, introducing Keaton Parks and Arnau Farnós in place of Raul Gustavo and Hannes Wolf, the latter of whom missed out through injury.
Montréal started well, forcing Matt Freese into early action. In the 9th minute, Noah Streit, signed in the offseason from FC Basel, struck a shot from outside the box that Freese gathered comfortably.
At the other end, Nicolás Fernández Mercau kept Thomas Gillier busy with a shot from the right side of the box.
The hosts took the lead in the 18th minute through Prince Owusu. The forward got a toe to Matty Longstaff’s cross and diverted it past Freese from close range.
Longstaff was involved again not long after, teeing up Victor Loturi for a shot from the edge of the area that flew just wide of Freese’s left post.
Agustín Ojeda was proving a dangerous threat out wide. The winger was picked out with a delightful diagonal pass from Kai Trewin and, after generating a yard, produced a cross that flashed through Montréal’s six-yard box.
Five minutes before halftime, Aiden O’Neill got a shot off from distance but it failed to hit the target.
The start of the second half saw a great early chance for Maxi Moralez after he managed to turn inside his defender and generate a yard, with his eventual shot skewing wide from a central area.
New York City thought they had a strong claim for a penalty in the 49th minute after Fernández Mercau was felled, but the play was flagged as offside.
The visitors continued to enjoy the better of the chances, and that saw Farnós go close in the 56th minute. The Spaniard made a well-timed run that was found with a great long ball from Thiago Martins, and after settling the ball he tried to fire it past the goalkeeper, but saw his effort deflect off a Montréal defender and into the hands of Gillier.
Jansen made his first change of the day in the 65th minute, introducing three new faces. On came Raul Gustavo, Seymour Reid, and Talles Magno in place of Parks, Farnós, and Ojeda.
New York City FC were reduced to ten men in the 78th minute after Tayvon Gray collected a second yellow card.
Despite that setback, they were handed a great chance to draw level almost instantly after Reid pounced on a mistake at the back. He drove toward goal and squared it to Talles Magno, who hit his shot straight at the goalkeeper.
In the 82nd minute, Andrés Perea made a welcome return to the field following a spell out through injury. Perea replaced Moralez in his first appearance of the season.
New York City FC continued to push for an equalizer, but were ultimately kept at bay by Montréal, and that meant a 1-0 defeat on the road.
How We Lined Up
What's Next
Next up for New York City FC is a U.S. Open Cup meeting with Red Bulls on Wednesday, April 29. Kickoff is scheduled ofr 7:00PM ET.
