MLS week 24: New York City FC 1-0 Los Angeles Galaxy
As two of the best rosters in the league clashed, New York City FC was able to snap the nine-game unbeaten streak of the LA Galaxy as David Villa scored early in the game and the home time would hang on to the win.
NYCFC Coach Patrick Viera points out his team’s strength, leaders of the Eastern Conference
“Our mind certainly is not already on the postseason because we are still in the fight for the playoffs,” said assistant Christian Lattanzio, who filled in for a suspended Patrick Vieira for a second consecutive home game. “Nothing has been done yet. We just won one game, a very important game, but our focus is on the next game.
“It was a hard game because the LA Galaxy are a contender for first place, but we played really well with no shots in the goal,” Pirlo said. “We are really excited for this game. Now we want to keep going and work hard to be ready for next game.”
Andrea Pirlo added:
“The team that wins is usually the team that doesn’t concede any goals. We trained the entire week for this reason, to play against a really important, strong attacking team. We’re really happy to have a clean sheet. “We started working from the start of the season to try to get the goal of MLS Cup. Now it’s great to be here, first in the standings.”
LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena comments as well:
On Yankee Stadium:
“It’s difficult, but both teams are playing on it. Obviously both teams have a little bit of a problem with it, but it’s the same for both teams. There wasn’t a whole lot of quality to our passing in the last third today. And then you look at the game, it was a tight game, we concede a goal early. In the first half, Nigel has an open goal that he misses. Second half, Robbie Keane has an open goal with his header. [He was] probably a little hesitant to head the ball coming off a concussion and fractured orbital bone, but those chances, they’re not going to come that often.
They kept their players in pretty tight at the end of the game, and took out some players in the midfield and really clamped down. The couple of chances we get, we have to put one in the back of the net. That’s the name of the game. The conditions were tough for both teams, and that’s that.”
