NYCFC put on a strong display in Wednesday's 3-1 knockout round win over the Philadelphia Union – but a stiff challenge awaits them in the Conference Semifinals against Atlanta United.
Yankee Stadium will host the first of two legs on Sunday. The second leg will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 11.
Atlanta earned a first-round bye after finishing in second-place in the Eastern Conference with 69 points. Their potent attack scored an MLS-best 70 goals.
Striker Josef Martinez captured the Golden Boot after a 31-goal campaign. Martinez excels scoring goals in a variety of ways – with his head, with either foot and through defense-splitting runs. He was named the MVP of the 2018 MLS All-Star Game.
Attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron resumed training this week and appears ready to return after recovering from a strained hamstring. A healthy Almiron would give Atlanta its first-choice starting XI. The 24-year-old contributed 12 goals and 14 assists during the regular season. He trailed only LAFC's Carlos Vela in the Audi Player Index, finishing second in the MLS with 702.
Julian Gressel and Hector Villalba also provided a creative spark for The Five Stripes by providing 14 and nine assists, respectively. Still, Almiron is the kind of player who makes Atlanta tick and his return to the starting lineup is a major boost.
Atlanta and NYCFC drew 2-2 and 1-1 in their previous meetings this season, though it should be noted that Patrick Vieira was manager for each of those meetings. This will be Domenec Torrent's first time managing against Atlanta.
NYCFC recently summoned their best game when it mattered in the regular season finale and knockout round win. Both were commanding 3-1 victories over Philadelphia.
Maximiliano Moralez led the way in Wednesday's victory by delivering a one-goal, two-assist performance. Despite losing the possession battle, the Pigeons registered 11 shots and put five on target.
Once again, much of the focus will be on captain David Villa. He was among the NYCFC scorers in the knockout round, and notched 14 goals during the regular season.
NYCFC have the advantage in net. Sean Johnson performed strongly during the regular season with a 70.9 save percentage and 10 shutouts. Atlanta's Brad Guzan recorded eight shutouts, but his save percentage was 65.9. Though Guzan is highly experienced, he is prone to the occasional big match blunder.
New York will hope to use their home field advantage to ensure they travel to Atlanta with an aggregate lead heading into the second leg. The Pigeons only suffered a single home loss during the regular season. Yankee Stadium's 7,770 square yard pitch is the smallest of all MLS stadiums, and some opponents struggle playing on its narrow field.
Facing Atlanta is a real step up in quality compared to Philadelphia. I see Atlanta edging New York over two legs and moving on to the Eastern Conference Final.
Follow Sean on Twitter -- @HartnettHockey
