BRONX, N.Y. — Dome Torrent is about to traverse, for the first time, the often unpredictable landscape of the MLS postseason.
And while the New York City FC coach hasn’t managed a playoff match before, he’s been in more than his fair share of finals — often on the victorious side in 11 years as Pep Guardiola’s top assistant coach.
But the mentality needed in Wednesday's Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round showdown against the Philadelphia Union (7 pm ET | FS1, UniMás, TSN, TVAS) at Yankee Stadium is the same as when Barcelona twice beat Manchester United in the Champions League final.
“When you play the knockout game, it’s like a final,” Torrent said after NYCFC trained at Yankee Stadium on Monday. “You have one possibility, not more.”
In those games, when the pressure is highest and the margin of error is slim, Torrent said the right mentality is critical. And usually the players who have been in those situations before tend to perform well.
Edge NYCFC, said Torrent, with a veteran core of David Villa, Sean Johnson, Alex Ring, Rodney Wallace and Maxi Moralez, among others, who have that vital experience.
“It’s very important because they know how important it is to keep the ball, have control in the game,” Torrent said. “Maybe you can play better than the opponent, but if you lose control, in 10 minutes they kill you. When you play with the players who have experience in these kind of games, it’s my experience you have more possibilities to keep the ball and don’t lose control.”
Torrent said he doesn’t see much of an advantage gained from NYCFC beating the Union, 3-1, on MLS Decision Day presented by AT&T, other than that match provided a blueprint for how he wants his team to play, and how he thinks they can win, in the playoffs.
“[Sunday], especially in the first half, was the way I want to play in the playoffs and the next year, if it’s possible, in that way,” Torrent said. “We had the control, we played with one-two touches, no more, with confidence, we took the spaces, when you lose the ball, recover as soon as possible.”
Of course, while there are NYCFC players who have MLS playoff experience, there hasn’t been much success in the postseason of yet. In each of the last two years, NYCFC earned a bye into the Eastern Conference Semifinals only to be beaten by the team advancing out of the Knockout Round.
Is there something to be said for the momentum gained from competing in the Knockout Round? Villa thinks so.
“I believe that every game and every year is totally different, but if you ask me about the experiences the last years, I totally agree,” he said. “The guys who played the knockout arrived to the semifinals with more confidence, more powerful. I hope this year it happens the same because we are in the knockout, but every game and every year is totally different.”
Watch: Take Two! Can NYCFC pound Philly in rematch as well?
