NYCFC advances to Eastern Conference final after upset win over Philadelphia

Maxi Moralez produced yet another play-off goal against Philadelphia Union as a depleted New York City FC (NYCFC) produced a textbook away performance to stun the Supporters’ Shield champions 1-0 at Subaru Park and reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2022.

Moralez, who has now scored in each of his four play-off meetings against Union, latched onto a glorious first-time pass from Nicolas Fernandez midway through the first half to strike the decisive blow in a dramatic encounter that saw the visitors withstand a late siege.

Fernandez, deputizing for the injured Alonso Martinez up front, produced a talismanic display leading the line for NYCFC, pulling the strings for the visitors throughout, while the 38-year-old Moralez rolled back the years in a fluid NYCFC attack.

Pascal Jansen, meanwhile, produced yet another tactical masterclass, deploying Kevil O’Toole and Jonny Shore in midfield to cover for the injured Andres Perea and the suspended Aiden O’Neill, a decision which paid dividends in the first half as NYCFC often suffocated Union and prevented the hosts from building any momentum.

Jansen’s side did live something of a charmed life as Union pressed for an equalizer in the dying moments, but the hosts simply could not find a way past Matt Freese in the NYCFC goal.

Jansen described Sunday’s win as a “team effort” and praised O’Toole and Shore for providing New York’s “heartbeat” in the absence of O’Neill and Perea.

“We’ve lost big players,” Jansen said. “But if you see how Kevin and Jonny made our heartbeat work again in the middle, that was really impressive.”

The visitors dominated the ball in the early stages and should have hit the front on 15 minutes when Moralez capitalized on a loose touch from Jacob Glasnes to win the ball high up the pitch. Moralez found Fernandez in space in the Union penalty area, but Fernandez saw his effort cannon off the base of the post.

Union struggled to create chances against a well-organized New York defense, but a Bruno Damiani snapshot from the edge of the area almost caught Matt Freese out midway through the half, with the NYCFC ‘keeper gathering at second attempt after the initial effort had squirmed under his body.

Jansen’s side took a deserved lead on 27 minutes courtesy of a silky attacking move kickstarted by Agustin Ojeda, who nutmegged Olwethu Makhanya on the right wing and fed Fernandez on the edge of the Union box. The Spaniard produced a moment of magic to split the Union defense with a perfectly-weighted pass that found the run of Moralez, who finished past Blake with aplomb to send the small pocket of away supporters into raptures.

Jansen praised his players for playing through the Union pressure in the build-up to the goal, praising Fernandez for showing “high intelligence” to find Moralez with a clinical first-time through ball.

The hosts did finish the half the stronger, however, and should have equalized three minutes before the break when Danley Jean Jacques stormed to the byline and fizzed a dangerous ball across the face of goal. But Tai Baribo, who finished as the Union’s top scorer in the regular season with 16 goals, could not apply the finishing touch from close range and his effort drifted well wide of Freese’s post.

Freese had to be alert to prevent an equalizer on the stroke of half time, getting down low to keep out an improvised Glesnes effort after a long throw-in had broken kindly for the Union defender in the NYCFC penalty area.

New York, having withstood that mini-storm, regrouped after the restart and almost doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second period when Fernandez produced an audacious effort from his own half that forced Blake to scramble furiously to tip the ball behind for a corner.

But it is not for nothing that Union won the Supporters’ Shield this season and the hosts began to turn the screw as the clock ticked past 60.

They should have equalized on 73 minutes when substitute Francis Westfield found Jacques with an exquisite whipped cross. But the Union midfielder, who found himself unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, got his header badly wrong and the chance went abegging.

Westfield found himself on the end of an equally good chance just a minute later when he snuck in at the back post to meet a Milan Iloski cross-cum-shot on the volley. Westfield appeared certain to score, but Freese spread himself magnificently to deny the substitute from close range.

In an almost carbon copy of that chance, Westfield again ghosted in at the back post to meet an inch-perfect delivery from Michael Uhre, but the Union substitute could not keep his effort down and the ball sailed harmlessly over Freese’s crossbar.

Freese had to produce a fingertip save to keep out a long-range Iloski effort as NYCFC retreated deeper and deeper into their own half as the game entered its closing moments, but the visitors showed a steely resilience to withstand a final Union onslaught and set up a conference final with Inter Miami.

Jansen praised his goalscorer for preserving the slender New York lead during those final moments, describing his save from Westfield’s volley as “incredible.”

“Philly threw everything at us,” Jansen said. “That save at the back post was incredible.”

NYCFC will undoubtedly be the underdogs against a Lionel Messi-inspired outfit fresh from vanquishing FC Cincinnati 4-0 in their own conference semi-final.

Justin Haak said afterward that NYCFC is fully aware of Miami’s strengths after suffering a 4-0 defeat at Citi Field against Messi and Co. in September.

Haak, however, insisted that NYCFC has “no doubt” that they can compete in Miami next Saturday.

“If we do what we’re capable of, if everyone plays their A game, we have no doubt that we can compete with them,” Haak said.

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