It’s fair to say that NYCFC scraped through to the knockout stages in Orlando by the skin of our teeth, but the Boys in Blue had no end of motivation to make up for lost time.
Facing the side which ended NYC’s MLS Playoff campaign in heartbreaking fashion at Citi Field last October, the players on both sides had plenty of history going into the first knockout round at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Head Coach Ronny Deila will have called for a strong start from an unchanged NYCFC side from the one which defeated Miami last time out - and that’s exactly what he got.
City stormed out of the traps, fired up to send out a message after a frustraingly tough start to the MLS is Back Tournament.
Snapping into challenges with physicality, Toronto were put onto the back foot from the first whistle and fell behind with fewer than five minutes on the board.
Jesus Medina was the scorer, racing onto an Anton Tinnerholm through ball in a clever set-piece routine and thumping his volley past Quentin Westberg.
New York kept the pressure on and Alex Callens almost marked his 100th MLS appearance for the Club with a goal but his header from a corner just missed the target.
The lively Medina had another chance to score with 10 minutes of the first half remaining but this time Westberg denied the Paraguayan, racing out to block on the edge of his box.
In an otherwise perfect half, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi limped out of the game to be replaced by Maxi Moralez, on his way back from his own injury troubles.
The Argentine made his presence felt on 55’ with his 49th assist for the Boys in Blue, a casual flick over the top of the TFC defense which found Taty Castellanos.
Taty still had plenty of work to do, taking the ball out of his feet to make the space for the shot which Westberg got a hand to but couldn’t keep out.
Two became three on 81’ when a sweeping counter-attack was finished off cooly by Moralez, providing a scoreline which reflected NYC’s dominance.
Toronto had the last word on 87’ through Patrick Mullins with a consolation goal from the former NYCFC forward which made it 3-1.
Other news - News
Other news
- 13:35 One absent for New York City FC for the trip to Charlotte
- 13:29 New York City FC 2024 team numbers confirmed
- 16:52 Three Keys of NYCFC 0-0 Red Bulls
- 16:23 NYCFC 0-0 Red Bulls, Cushing: "Incredible atmosphere at Yankee Stadium"
- 01:20 The Knicks can sacrifice Immanuel Quickley for a star
- 00:01 Maxi Moralez: "I can't wait to be reunited with the fans"
- 23:00 Maxi Moralez back to NYCFC: "I couldn’t be more excited"
- 22:03 David Lee: "Maxi will bring leadership and experience to our group"
- 22:00 OFFICIAL - Maxi Moralez Returns to New York City Football Club
- 13:00 David Lee: "We're excited to integrate Fernandez into the team"
- 07:20 NYCFC Signs Argentinian Forward Julián Fernández
- 15:30 Bernardeschi can leave Toronto: there is interest from an Italian club
- 14:30 Los Angeles Galaxy crazy offer to Hriving Lozano
- 13:42 CR7: "Saudi Pro League is much better than the MLS"
- 18:44 NYCFC, failing season. The trend needs to be reversed
- 17:27 Birk Risa: "I'm happy to be here, I can't wait to get started"
- 15:39 OFFICIAL - NYCFC Signs Norwegian Defender Birk Risa
- 13:44 Taty Castellanos moves to Lazio
- 13:40 Inter Miami, Alba también se sumará al proyecto
- 23:36 OFFICIAL - Inter Miami, Gerardo Martino named new coach
- 22:58 Timothy Weah has landed in Turin, he will be a Juventus player
- 22:56 OFFICIAL - Kai Havertz is a new Arsenal player
- 15:30 Bayern Munich on Kane, there is an agreement on the contract but not the one with Tottenham
- 14:30 West Ham reject Arsenal's third offer for Rice. Manchester City are considering withdrawing from the auction
- 13:24 Mbappé at Real, the striker's mother-agent is the key: she will be the one to deal with PSG
- 19:15 OFFICIAL - "Welcome to Finnesota". Center forward Pukki restarts from MLS
- 19:13 OFFICIAL - Mateo Kovacic leaves Chelsea and signs with Man City
- 18:30 AC Milan wants Pulisic. Berhalter advises the US midfielder
- 18:00 West Ham: 100 million not enough for Declan Rice, rejected offers from Arsenal and Man City
- 17:30 Timothy Weah moves to Italy
- 17:00 NYCFC may pursue former Vancouver Whitecaps player
- 16:30 Antoine Griezmann wants to play in MLS and rejects the offer from Saudi Arabia
- 15:59 Keaton Parks: "I'm happy to be able to do goal and assist"
- 15:32 Bayern Munich, formal offer for Harry Kane
- 15:23 Andrea Pirlo returns to Italy, signs with Sampdoria
- 13:28 Manchester City's Champions League win could impact NYCFC's future
- 12:00 James Sands Selected To Represent The USMNT At The 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup
- 08:30 Lionel Messi lands in the MLS: pros and cons
- 23:48 Real Salt Lake vs NYCFC: one player unavailable for Cushing
- 23:46 NYCFC, Cushing: “We’re Desperate For The First Road Win"
- 22:34 MLS statement on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF
- 21:54 OFFICIAL - Messi is a new player of Inter Miami FC
- 19:09 Messi's signing with Inter Miami FC