NYCFC 1-1 draw Montreal Impact
NYCFC dropped a one-goal lead at a bitterly cold Yankee Stadium to tie 1-1 with Montreal Impact.
It was a case of history repeating itself as Oduro cancelled out Wallace’s opening goal to level the match, meaning the teams shared the spoils. There was golden opportunity for NYCFC to take the lead inside two minutes when David Villa got to the byline and pulled it back for Jack Harrison but the Englishman fired over the bar from ten yards out.
Following a spell of Montreal pressure which yielded no clear chances, it was the home side who went closest to finding the opener on 18’ when Harrison’s pace and trickery slipped Ambroise Oyongo but this time Alex Ring couldn’t convert the opportunity from close range. On 25’, the Boys in Blue went even closer after Villa exchanged passes with Rodney Wallace and found himself through on goal but, while effort beat the onrushing Evan Bush, it bounced the wrong side of the target and wide. Despite the flurry of chances, you felt as though NYCFC always had another gear to go to and, as the half wore on, Vieira’s men started to take a stranglehold on the midfield battleground, cutting through Montreal’s resistance with increasing regularity. This intense pressure finally told with two minutes of the half remaining when Wallace netted his second goal for the club and second in as many games.
Similar to his first against DC, Wallace reacted quickest when Ring’s shot was well-saved by Bush, turning it in on the stretch after some sublime wing-play from Harrison on the right.
It was a lead NYCFC deserved but only a lick of paint kept it in tact going in at the interval as Ignacio Piatti struck the post before the half-time whistle. That was a reminder of the fragility of the lead and it was one that seemed to be heeded as the home team flew out of the traps in the second period, with the Matarrita and Wallace left sided combination looking
especially dangerous. The goalscorer provided the first one-on-one chance of the second half when he squared for Maxi Moralez but the Argentine playmaker missed the target when he will feel he really ought to have scored.
NYCFC paid for their profligacy a few minutes later when Montreal equalized against the run of play through Oduro who raced onto a ball over the top and thumped it into the roof of the net. Jonathan Lewis came in for his professional debut on 78′ and was soon followed by Tommy McNamara as Vieira went all out to regain the lead but it wasn’t to be, leaving NYCFC to rue their missed chances.
NYCFC Patrick Vieira: There is a disappointment in not getting the three points today, and also on Rodney Wallace’s goal…
“Yeah, we’re really frustrated because we think we should have won this game, but this is a game of football. If you don’t take your chances, you will most likely leave the door open for the patient team and Rodney’s goal – he deserved it. He deserved it because of the way he’s working for the team. He’s a team player, and I was really pleased with his goal because he’s working really hard when he’s on the field.”
On the missed chances in this game… “Today we create and only scored one, and of course there’s frustration and we have to keep working because the best way to improve and to score all the goals that we create in games is to keep working hard. I don’t have any doubt about the talent, but it’s important for us to take chances because we are not going to create a lot of chances like that every game, so those chances that we create, we need to score on those.” On Rodney Wallace playing as a forward… “I think his work ethic. He loves the game. He’s working hard in training in the game. He’s got a really good attitude in the dressing room. All the players love him. I like his character. He’s did really well in the league. He won the title, so he knows how to do it. He’s got good experience as well, but I think what I really love about him is the way he’s competing when he’s on the field and he can score goals.”
Forward NYCFC Jonathan Lewis
On debut… “It definitely was fun. It was good to make my debut it’s like a dream come true, but at the end of the day we didn’t win and that’s the most important part of course I’m happy to make my debut.” Direction from Patrick Vieira… “Bring energy and just run at the guy so it was obviously nervewracking but I’m happy and I’ll do better when I come out next time.”
