Defense
RB – Anton Tinnerholm – 7.5
Anton Tinnerholm had his best match of the season, playing well at both ends of the pitch. At home, in the tight confines of Yankee Stadium, New York City FC play their full-backs very high, demanding offensive production from them. Tinnerholm had a key pass and made three crosses. He also had four successful dribbles. Tinnerholm had opportunities to influence the attack. However, his final product was not always there. He failed to connect on any of his three crosses.
The right-back also influenced the game on defense. Tinnerholm is usually the full-back that plays a little further forward. However, with Ronald Matarrita starting on the left, Tinnerholm stayed home more. He finished the match with two tackles, three interceptions, and three clearances.
CB – Sebastian Ibeagha – 7
The former USL Player of the Year, Sebastian Ibeagha, received the start at CB in place of the injured Alexander Callens. He was solid all match and made a nice tandem with Maxime Chanot. One of Callens’ best attributes is his ability to distribute the ball from the back and Ibeagha was fair in his attempts to emulate. Eight of his 12 long passes were successful and his passing accuracy was 88.9%. The passing accuracy is a little inflated. New York City FC possessions often consisted of Ibeagha, Chanot, and midfielder Alexander Ring pinging the ball back-and-forth to each other before one of the trio launches a diagonal pass forward.
On the defensive end, Ibeagha managed two tackles, one interception, and four clearances. He only committed one foul as well.
CB – Maxime Chanot – 8 – Man of the Match
Maxime Chanot was New York City FC’s best player against Montreal. He was tidy on defense, even though he was playing on the left side of central defense for a bulk of the match, rather than his usual right. He finished the match with four tackles, an interception, and five tackles. Chanot also won five aerial balls.
Chanot led New York City FC in touches. His 119 touches were 10 more than any other player. He made 105 passes, 88.6% of which were successful. NYCFC relied on long passes to move the ball to their attackers and Chanot completed 12 of those.
LB – Ronald Matarrita – 7.5
Ronald Matarrita made his second start of the year. He’s been successful in both, earning a 7.5 rating both in this match and against LAFC last month. Matarrita is not a defensive stalwart, and he did not stand out on that end here. However, he did not hurt the team either.
Matarrita is at his best when he is able to get forward, and that is exactly what he was able to do on Saturday. Matarrita consistently was New York City FC’s most dangerous attacker. He led the team with three shots, one of which was on target. He had a key pass, and made seven crosses. If NYCFC had a legitimate aerial threat at centre-forward, Matarrita may have had a few more key passes.
Due to his defensive limitations, there will be matches that NYCFC want to keep Matarrita on the bench, especially away from home. However, manager Domenec Torrent may want to give him a look as a left midfielder in those matches given his offensive impact.