New York City FC Match Preview and Prediction: Montreal Impact

Though they’ve already clinched a playoff berth, New York City FC will look to maintain their grip on the second seed in the Eastern Conference when they take on the floundering Montreal Impact Wednesday night in a potential postseason preview.

Where: Stade Saputo – Montreal, Quebec, Canada

When: Wednesday, 9/27 at 7:30 pm ET

How to Watch: MLS Live

ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 05: The starting lineup for New York City FC is seen during a MLS soccer match between New York City FC and Orlando City SC at the Orlando City Stadium on March 5, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

Match Overview:

After being forced to play one of their home games away from Yankee Stadium, New York City FC finds themselves back on the road for two matches in the next four days.

It’ll be a tough stretch for NYCFC considering they’re still fighting to clinch a first-round bye, but their current road form bodes well for their chances to come away with points in both matches. The Boys in Blue have been unbeaten in their last three matches away from Yankee Stadium and the Stade Saputo has been quite kind to them since their inaugural season, as NYCFC sports a 2-0-0 record in Montreal.

The Montreal Impact find themselves on the cusp of a playoff spot coming into this match and need to get as many points as they can from here on out if they want to sneak into the postseason.

The Impact have lost five of their last six, but their one victory during that stretch came against league-leading Toronto FC, arguably one of the most dominant MLS sides in recent memory.

The Impact are by no means a dominant home team by any stretch of the imagination. Montreal has lost six of the 15 matches they’ve played at home so far this season, good for second-worst in the league. It’s hard to get a feel for this squad, but Montreal is bound to put up a fight with their playoff lives on the line.

MONTREAL, QC – NOVEMBER 22: Ignacio Piatti (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Three Keys to the Match:

Eliminate Ignacio Piatti From the Match: Ignacio Piatti has been one of the most dangerous playmakers in the MLS the past three seasons due to his ability to both create and score. The Argentinian international leads the Impact with 17 goals to go along with a respectable six assists this season and is probably the main reason the Impact are still in the playoff hunt. Montreal is 4-11-3 this season when Piatti doesn’t find the back of the net, so nullifying his impact on the match will greatly increase NYCFC’s chances to come away with all three points.
Utilize the Wings: Montreal typically plays with a 3-4-1-2 formation, which requires the two outside midfielders to track back on defense to make up for the lack of numbers along the defensive line. Attacking the wings with long balls and through passes will stretch the Impact’s back line and force outside midfielders to slide inside to cover the space being vacated by the center back pressuring the ball. This strategy should create both space and mismatches for David Villa and other attackers in the middle of the field.
Stay Composed in the Midfield: NYCFC will most likely field their usual 4-3-3 formation Wednesday night, which would give the Impact a five to three numbers advantage over the Boys in Blue in the midfield. All three of NYCFC’s starting midfielders need to be careful with the ball at their feet and pick their passes wisely. Any costly turnovers in the middle of the field will put the Boys in Blue at a huge disadvantage on the Montreal counterattack and give the Impact the opportunity to do some serious damage.

ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 05: David Villa (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

Player to Watch: David Villa

David Villa had a solid performance in his first start since injuring his adductor, but the Spanish international only managed one shot in 84 minutes played against the Houston Dynamo.

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The rust is clearly still there, but Villa must find his goalscoring form against the Impact. A majority of NYCFC’s success this season can be attributed to Villa and the effect he has when he’s on the pitch.

Villa is also only one strike away from his second-consecutive 20-goal season. If he were to score against the Impact, he would be the first foreign-born player in the MLS to score 20+ goals in back-to-back seasons and would tie Bradley Wright-Phillips for the most 20+ goal seasons by a foreign-born player in MLS history.

Official Overview: Hilario Grajeda

An MLS referee since 2004, Hilario Grajeda is one of the more respected officials in the league and earned the honor of officiating the U.S. Open Cup Final between Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls due to his track record as a referee.

The 13-year veteran official isn’t overly harsh when calling fouls and has only given out one red card in the 15 matches he’s officiated so far. However, his 28.3 fouls-per-game average is slightly concerning considering that number indicates that the game won’t be able to have any flow to it.

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Prediction: Montreal Impact 1 – New York City FC 2

Considering the Impact’s recent slide and their inability to win at home against NYCFC, the Boys in Blue are bound to come away from Stade Saputo with all three points.

Alexander Ring is back in the starting XI and should be able to keep tabs on Piatti when he comes back into the midfield, though the Argentine is bound to be a factor in one Montreal goal.

New York’s speedy wingers stretching the defense combined with Villa’s presence in the middle will seriously test the Impact defensively and the Boys in Blue should easily capitalize more than once on Montreal’s lapses in communication at the back.

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