Well-rested NYCFC fall to Montréal in lifeless road performance

Sixteen days of rest did New York City FC no justice, losing 1-0 to CF Montréal at Stade Saputo on Matchday 19.

Victor Loturi's first-half strike was enough to lead Montréal to its first home win in 252 days, which was coincidentally against NYCFC on Decision Day last season.

Montréal also completed the season sweep over New York City for the first time in club history after winning 1-0 at Yankee Stadium on May 10.

NYCFC now sits in 9th Place — the last playoff spot — on 28 points, but with a game in hand over 10th Place Charlotte FC, which has 25 points.

No desire to score, until the end

For the seventh time this season, New York City was held scoreless.

It wasn't like NYCFC's 0-0 tie at DC United, where former goalkeeper Luis Barraza stood on his head and made six saves for a well-deserved clean sheet. Instead, it was much more similar to the 3-0 home loss to Houston Dynamo FC, because New York City showed no urgency offensively against Montréal until halfway through the second half, and by then, it was too late.

NYCFC attempted just two shots in the first half, but both came before Montréal took their lead in the 23rd minute. New York City wasn't able to respond after going down, and never looked like scoring despite dominating possession (68%) and passes completed (586).

It doesn't help that Mounsef Bakrar, who filled in for Alonso Martínez, had another night to forget. The Algerian striker recorded four shots, but none tested Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois. Hannes Wolf and Julián Fernández were NYCFC's most threatening players, combining for two shots on target and five chances created.

Where was the New York City team that put four goals past Atlanta 16 days ago? Playing on the road in MLS is always tough, but putting just two shots on target against the worst team in the Eastern Conference is concerning.

The Mehdi Ballouchy experience

Unexpectedly, the team announced on Thursday that head coach Pascal Jansen would miss the Montréal match to attend to a personal matter in Europe, putting longtime assistant coach and former NYCFC midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy in charge.

Ballouchy told reporters that Jansen, despite not being with the team, would still be in contact with the coaching staff during the game. There weren't any massive changes to New York City's lineup, but it was surprising to see someone like Aiden O'Neill spend the entire match on the bench when he could've brought some life to the midfield.

"The most important thing for us is the reality that tonight we showed up a little bit late to the party," Ballouchy said on the result. "Our first half an hour or so was a little sluggish — in and out of possession. We didn’t have the right intensity. It took halftime for us to kind of get going again. The second half was much better. We had control, we were in the final third, and we just lacked that last little play — the last pass or clever pass, the right type of crosses, and finishing."

Despite the loss, Ballouchy used it as a learning experience in his first-ever time acting as head coach.

"There’s a lot of learning for me," he said. "I think it’s a different type of light when you are in charge, making the substitutions, and giving the halftime and post-game talks. I just wanted to try to be true to myself. In the next couple of days, I can reflect and see what I’ve done well and what I haven’t."

After the game, Ballouchy confirmed that Jansen would return to training on Tuesday for NYCFC's match against Toronto on Thursday night.

Another struggle against a weaker opponent

Five of New York City's seven losses this season have come against teams below them in the Supporters' Shield standings: Atlanta, New England, Montréal (twice), and Houston.

NYCFC has played well and defeated some of the league's best teams, including Philadelphia and Cincinnati, but when they play against a weaker opposition — especially on the road — it seems like an entirely different team shows up.

New York City was missing some of its key players, like Matt Freese, Keaton Parks, and Alonso Martínez against Montréal, but the team is still talented enough to be expected to get a result against the worst team in the Eastern Conference.

Tomás Romero filled in for Freese and was NYCFC's best player, recording five key saves that kept his team in the game. Bakrar went missing, and the wingers lacked the final touch needed to lead to a goal.

NYCFC has a quick turnaround and will face another struggling Eastern Conference team, Toronto FC, at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night.