New York City F.C. Routs Atlanta and Inches Closer to Top Seed

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It must seem a little bit funny at New York City F.C. today, after four years of big-name signings (David Villa, Andrea Pirlo), big-name coaches (Patrick Vieira) and at least one big-time mistake (Frank Lampard), that it was a tiny Romanian who put them on the verge of the first-place finish the team has been after all along.

But it was indeed a 34-minute hat trick by Alexandru Mitrita — signed in February not from one of Europe’s big, sexy clubs but from the decidedly less glamorous Universitatea Craiova in Romania’s Liga I — that gave N.Y.C.F.C. a 4-1 victory over Atlanta United on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

The result, and either a loss by Philadelphia later Wednesday or a point in one of New York’s final two games, would clinch first place — and a first-round playoff bye — for New York in next month’s Major League Soccer playoffs.

That means New York City’s job is not done yet, a point Coach Domènec Torrent and his players made repeatedly after some cautious postgame celebrations.

Still, what everyone knew was that the victory over Atlanta, which entered the game in second place, all but locked up first place in the Eastern Conference for Torrent’s team. That it was delivered by Mitrita, in a burst of opportunistic scoring efficiency, seemed fitting.

A 24-year-old wing, Mitrita has been neither an everyday starter nor New York City’s scoring leader this season. (Entering Wednesday, in fact, he was third on the team in goals.) What he has provided instead, in a league filled with bigger stars, has been diligent work and a knack for finding open space — or creating it.

His first two goals on Wednesday were nearly identical, slicing runs from the left in which he cut inside for right-footed shots that beat Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan. His third was a mix of good fortune and good timing, a run followed through to the back post that allowed him to pounce on a Guzan rebound and finish into an empty net for a 3-0 lead in the 34th minute.

Only a missed penalty kick by midfielder Maxi Moralez marred a dominant first half for New York City, and only a penalty surrendered by Maxime Chanot after halftime spoiled the shutout, but afterward few on the New York City side were pointing out flaws. They knew that another date with Atlanta — which played without the injured striker Josef Martínez on Wednesday — could be looming in the postseason.

“The important thing for us is to play in the playoffs,” Torrent said. “But it’s very important for us to win these kind of games because maybe you have to play again in the playoffs against this team.”

If that happens, N.Y.C.F.C. may like its chances. It has lost only five games this season, and none since Aug. 11, a 2-1 defeat at Atlanta that was avenged on Wednesday. What Torrent will take into the postseason is not a flashy roster like Atlanta’s (which won the league championship last year) or that of Los Angeles F.C. (which has run away with the Western Conference race) but a consistent and capable one with a preference for control of the ball and a dependable core of players from off the beaten path. It includes a Swedish defender (Anton Tinnerholm) who likes to bomb forward; a Finnish midfielder (Ring) who anchors the midfield; Mitrita; the Argentines Moralez and Valentin Castellanos; and the Brazilian Heber (who scored his 15th goal of the year on Wednesday to make it 4-1 against Atlanta).

The top seeded N.Y.C.F.C. covets a bigger prize than in past years. Before this season, M.L.S. introduced a new playoff format in which the top seven teams in each 12-team conference qualify for the postseason, but only the No. 1 team receives a bye in the first round. The league also did away with its traditional home-and-home format for this year; instead, the playoffs will be a single-elimination tournament, with the higher seed hosting each match.

The intent was to shorten the playoffs — the championship game will take place on Nov. 10 this year, nearly a month earlier than last season’s M.L.S. Cup — but also to raise the stakes, both for seeding going in and for each postseason match. A bye means one fewer chance to go out.

“We have to be ready because the playoffs are different this year,” Torrent said. “It’s a knockout game — that means if you make a mistake, if the referee makes a mistake, or the keeper or me makes a mistake, you’re out.”

At least New York City F.C. knows, now, that it almost certainly will get a chance to chase its next prize on its home field, even if it may have to share it with the Yankees, who have their own playoff run starting soon. But that, too, is a problem for tomorrow. On Wednesday, there were only smiles.



Source : NYtimes