New York is Hot – On and Off the Field
Soccer News: MLS-style excitement continues on the field -Match Recap, stats and quotes: Toronto FC 0 New York City FC 2
The New York City FC continued their hot stretch since Memorial Day Weekend, winning their third-consecutive Major League Soccer match and extending their unbeaten run to four after a 2-0 victory over Toronto FC in front of 28,352 on Saturday evening at BMO Field.
Captain David Villa scored once in each half to bring his season tally to six as New York City FC improve to 4-7-5 (17 points). Toronto FC, which came into the match on a three-match winning streak, drops to 6-6-1 (19 points).
Since snapping an 11-match winless stretch, New York City FC has taken 10 out of a possible 12 points from their last four matches.
The Club needed just eight minutes for the first breakthrough of the evening.
Mehdi Ballouchy’s corner kick was headed on by Andrew Jacobson at the near post. The ball went off of Benoit Cheyrou’s arm as the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Villa stepped up and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner for a 1-0 lead.
From there the match got chippy and physical, but New York City FC never lost composure. Goalkeeper Josh Saunders (four saves) preserved the one-goal advantage with a series of saves in about three minutes.
Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco was denied on a free kick from approximately 25 yards out in the 29th minute as Saunders dove to his left to punch the ball away.
Toronto FC maintained the pressure. One minute later, Giovinco found an overlapping Justin Morrow down the left side. The defender fired in a low cross to Michael Bradley, but the midfielder’s one-timed effort from 6 yards out was kick saved by the veteran Saunders.
In the 31st minute, forward Luke Moore beat the defense and found himself with a one-on-one opportunity, but Saunders denied his effort.
The score remained 1-0 at halftime.
Just as New York City FC got off to a quick start in the first half, the Club replicated the feat after the interval.
In the 58th minute, Mix Diskerud gained possession just outside of the Toronto FC penalty box. He fed a rushing Tommy McNamara down the right side. As he was falling down, McNamara crossed the ball to Ballouchy to his left. Just as he did in the 3-1 win against Montreal on June 13, Ballouchy unselfishly played the ball across to Villa, who fired it home for another goal.
New York City FC return to the field against the Red Bulls on Sunday. Kickoff is 5 p.m. EDT from Yankee Stadium. The match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
What did the New York City FC Coach say?
Jason Kreis On the victory…
“The guys played fantastic tonight. I am very familiar with the way Toronto FC plays as I have been around the league for years but it was up to the guys to really give the effort. To me it was mostly about the effort.”
Jason Kreis On Toronto FC…
“There is no way you can allow guys like Giovinco or Bradley any type of space on the ball. The few times they did have space on the ball they nearly hurt us. We knew there were going to be times where we had to weather the storm because Toronto is a very good team.”
What did the New York City FC Player Josh Suanders say?:
Josh Suanders’ thoughts on the match…
“I thought it was a great result, great effort by the guys and now we have a few wins in a row. We are taking this confidence into next week vs New York Red Bull.”
Josh Suanders on the impact of another positive result…
“I think these wins have given us the confidence to calm down and really play a little bit more. We have a lot more trust in each other with the ability to move forward and attack. It says a lot as we are winning on the road and Toronto is a very good team.”
Notes:
- Captain David Villa earned his first brace of his MLS career tonight and now has 4 goals in the club’s last 4 MLS matches.
- Goalkeeper Josh Saunders recorded his 3rdshutout of the season and 23rd of his career.
- With their 2 goals tonight, New York City FC has now scored at least twice in each of their last 4 matches.
- Tonight’s win was New York City FC’s 3rdconsecutive league win, extending their franchise record.
Game Stats
Toronto FC 0, New York City FC 2
Saturday June 20, 2015: 7:00 p.m. EDT
MLS Regular Season
Scoring Summary:
8’ (PK) David Villa, NYC
58’ David Villa, NYC
Misconduct Summary:
20’ Sebastian Giovinco, TFC (Yellow Card)
35’ Chris Wingert, NYC (Yellow Card)
45’+1’ Ashtone Morgan, TFC (Yellow Card)
60’ Jason Hernandez, NYC (Yellow Card)
66’ Josh Saunders, NYC (Yellow Card)
82’ Kwadwo Poku, NYC (Yellow Card)
84’ Shay Facey, NYC (Yellow Card)
87’ Jozy Altidore, TFC (Yellow Card)
Lineups:
New York City FC: Josh Saunders, Chris Wingert, Jason Hernandez, Shay Facey, RJ Allen, Andrew Jacobson, Mix Diskerud, Ned Grabavoy, Mehdi Ballouchy (Kwadwo Poku, 68’), David Villa, Thomas McNamara (Pablo Alvarez, 80’)
Unused substitutes: Eirik Johanson, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Jeb Brovsky, Patrick Mullins, Adam Nemac
TOTAL SHOTS: 8; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 16; OFFSIDE: 2; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 4.
Toronto FC: Chris Konopka, Justin Morrow, Ashtone Morgan (Robbie Findley, 83’), Eriq Zavaleta, Damien Perquis, Michael Bradley, Benoit Cheyrou, Jonathan Osorio, Collen Warner (Jackson, 77’), Sebastian Giovinco, Luke Moore (Jozy Altidore, 58’)
Unused substitutes: Joe Bendik, Nick Hagglund, Warren Creavalle, Jay Chapman
TOTAL SHOTS: 13; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 18; OFFSIDE: 0; CORNER KICKS: 10; SAVES: 2.
Referee: Allen Chapman
Referee’s Assistants: Gianni Facchini and Mark Cahen
4th Official: Alan Kelly
Attendance: 30,029
