By Rich Mancuso/ Sports Editor
Sunday evening NYCFC saw their season come to an end after a 3-1 loss to Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the MLS playoffs. This was the third consecutive year that NYCFC failed to advance to the Eastern Conference final.
Last Sunday, NYCFC lost the first leg to Atlanta United 1-0 at Yankee Stadium. The MLS playoff format to advance out of a round is compiled with aggregate goals. Atlanta advances to the conference final and will play the Red Bulls in the first leg November 25th.
New York City midfielder Yangel Herrera (30) and Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez (7) fight for the ball during the first half in the Eastern Conference semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Here are some postgame quotes courtesy of NYCFC:
New York City FC Goalkeeper Sean Johnson
“It is obviously disappointing. I think you have to give credit to Atlanta. Over the two legs, they won both legs. Regardless of what transpired over the two games, I think it was necessary to come out as victors, and we didn’t. This game was going to be won where, no matter if a goal was scored or conceded early, we were still in it. We had a chance, we just had to win. At 2-0, difficult, 2-1 doable, 3-1 game over. It’s disappointing and it is not a position where you want to walk away saying, ‘this is the second year in a row, and we’ll look forward to next year.’ It is really still digesting this moment and, at the end of the day, it wasn’t good enough over two legs to get the job done.”
New York City defender Anton Tinnerholm (3) jumps over Atlanta United defender Leandro Gonzalez (5) in the second half in the Eastern Conference semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
New York City FC head coach Domènec Torrent
“It is not easy to play when you make two mistakes and they score. The first goal the penalty, the second goal is a free kick. When we played much better, we were able to score and we are there. After that, in the second half in my opinion, we played a little bit better than the first half. We had the control, but it is not enough. When you arrive in the semifinals, it is about the goals and you have to score the goals. We knew we needed to score. We were not able to score more goals. After that, the third goal is because everyone is focusing to score a goal and it is two against two. It is another mistake because one player broke the line. Soccer is about mistakes. When you arrive in the semifinals and the final, it is about the team that doesn’t concede goals and doesn’t make mistakes will have the opportunity to make the final.”
Atlanta United defender Franco Escobar (2) pushes the ball up the pitch against New York City midfielder Yangel Herrera (30) during the first half in the Eastern Conference semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
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