New York City FC will appeal to the best final phase in its history in which it has stopped being an inexperienced team to beat the favorite and local Philadelphia Union.
This Sunday, both teams will meet in the final of the Eastern Conference of the US MLS, in which Philadelphia, second in their division in the regular phase, comes out as the candidate to go to the game for the League title over him. New York City, fourth on the table, and with a history of failing in the decisive moments.
Founded in 2015, the New York squad had never made it past the semifinals, drawing criticism for being a soft side.
In this final phase, Norwegian coach Ronny Deila’s New York City FC has changed its image by being in its first conference final led by Argentine Valentin Castellanos, the league’s top scorer champion.
Deila will have the task of replacing Castellanos, who will have to serve a penalty game. The Argentine forward has scored in both of New York’s finals games, in the 2-0 win over Atlanta United and the penalty-winning goal against the East’s leaders New England Revolution.
To do this, Deila will resort to the firmness shown this postseason by Argentine Maximiliano Morález, another of the leaders in this great New York campaign.
Coach Jim Curtin’s Philadelphia is having a great time as a franchise. In 2020 he won the Supporters’ Shield, was a semi-finalist this year in the Concacaf Champions League, and finished second in the east.
In the final phase, they passed over the New York Red Bull and defeated Nashville SC on penalties, a triumph that made them the only team to win at home in the conference semifinals.
Curtin has as his main weapons in attacking Latino figures, the Venezuelan José Andrés Martínez and Captain Alejandro Bedoya, an American of Colombian origin.
The winner of the eastern conference final will face the western champion in the title duel that will come out of the game between Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake City, which will play this Saturday.