Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

NYCFC Beat Philadelphia Union 3-1, Advance to Eastern Semis

NYCFC Beat Philadelphia

Bronx, N.Y. (October 31, 2019)- NYCFC beat Philadelphia 3-1, riding a strong first half performance into the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

NYCFC Beat Philadelphia 3-1

Ismael Tajouri-Shradi opened the scoring ten minutes in after NYCFC’s high press turned over Philadelphia in their defensive third. Maxi Moralez played the ball towards David Villa who flicked onto an on coming Tajouri-Shradi, whose first time hit blazed past Andre Blake.

15 minutes later, Maxi Moralez nut megged the Union defender to find a wide open David Villa who made it 2-0. From that point on, the Union were effectively out of contention. Maxi Moralez chipped Blake to make it 3-0 and Corey Burke got one back to make it 3-1.

The Union’s run in 2018 basically petered out with their dismal performance in the US Open Cup Final, save their performance against Minnesota. The last few weeks they haven’t been able to recapture their form, which saw them drop from a home playoff spot and into the sixth seed.

New York City FC however, have been peaking at the right time. Since getting Yangel Herrera and Jesus Medina back, NYCFC have looked like they did at the beginning of the season. They move on to face Atlanta United on Sunday in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

Three Things

  1. Maxi Moralez was pulling all the strings today. His service led to two goals, and his expert chip of Andre Blake was a well deserved goal for his performance on the night. Moralez will be the key creator going forward for them.
  2. Ismael Tajouri-Shradi made a significant impact after being handed the start. His first time strike was wonderful, and he was dangerous enough throughout the match to give Philadelphia issues. His performance going forward can provide a spark either off the bench, or an early in the game shot in the arm.
  3. Corey Burke may have scored tonight, but he had multiple chances to score off headers and could never make the right contact. Every single header went up and over the bar, as he was early to every ball and couldn’t get enough on it to make a powerful, accurate header on target. If he finished an earlier chance, then maybe the game turns out different. Either way, he was reduced to very little effectiveness outside of a few chances, giving Philly a bad night out.

 

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message