BRONX, N.Y. – Impossible is nothing.
For New York City FC, that’s more than an old adidas marketing slogan. It’s the club’s new mantra ahead of a monumental task this weekend.
NYCFC are set to host Columbus Crew SC1400180426" tabindex="0">on Sunday (5 pm ET; ESPN in the US | TSN1, TVAS in Canada) in the decisive leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series and need a big win at Yankee Stadium after suffering a 4-1 road loss in the first leg on Halloween.
Overturning a three-goal deficit against an in-form Crew SC side will be no small feat, but New York City know they have the firepower and talent to create and score chances in bunches. In fact, earlier this week they looked back at film of the lopsided 4-1 victory they posted in the 2016 regular season finale – not coincidentally, against Columbus – as a source of inspiration.
“We looked back to the last game [of last year], when we won 4-1, so nothing is impossible,” NYCFC fullback Ronald Matarrita said 1400180427" tabindex="0">on Friday. “The key is to do what we have been doing. Obviously, we need to correct details from the game in Columbus, but we simply need to manage the angst of needing to go out and dictate the tempo in an intelligent manner.
“We need to play a calm and smart game, but with lots of desire to get the necessary result.”
NYCFC head coach Patrick Vieira said 1400180428" tabindex="0">Friday that he expects Crew SC to sit back with a “deep block” and look to hit on the counterattack, which seems like a safe bet given Columbus’ healthy advantage.
If that ends up being the case, the likes of David Villa and Maximiliano Moralez should see plenty of the ball. The onus for New York City, however, will be on finding space and being clinical enough in front of goal.
Hitting the back of the net early certainly would not hurt their chances, either.
“We need to find one or two goals in the first half, and then in the second take things more calmly,” said Matarrita. “If we play an intelligent game and are good defensively, then we are good enough at the front to score a lot of goals and advance.”
NYCFC know the challenge is a steep one, but nonetheless are confident that they can pull out a lopsided win to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship series. They know their attack has plenty of quality, and beating Crew SC by a large margin isn’t unprecedented in their history.
“The coaches showed us a video from last year when we won 4-1, and that score will force [extra time] this time around,” Yangel Herrera told MLSsoccer.com. “That inspires us, because nothing is impossible. We believe, we have faith, and we are committed to fighting from the first minute on 1400180429" tabindex="0">Sunday in order to move one step closer to making what we are looking for become a reality.”
