NYCFC spoil the party in Portland, prove their mettle as MLS Cup champions
By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
The Big Apple has its first professional sports championship in almost a decade.
On Sunday afternoon in rain-soaked Portland, New York City FC upset the hometown Timbers to win the 2021 MLS Cup after surviving a last-gasp equalizer from Felipe Mora that sent the match to extra time and, eventually, penalty kicks.
Pigeons goalkeeper Sean Johnson was the hero in the shootout. The veteran U.S. national team understudy was named MVP of the title match after saving Portland’s first two attempts from 12 yards and setting up the decisive effort from NYCFC defender Alexander Callens, who sent the winner past Timbers backstop Steve Clark.
Not only did the dramatic win claim the first trophy for America’s biggest city since the NFL’s New York Giants won the Super Bowl in early 2012, but NYCFC’s triumph also marks the first time that an MLS team representing Gotham has worn the crown. The Harrison, New Jersey-based New York Red Bulls, founded as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars during the league’s maiden campaign in 1996, have reached the final just once in 26 seasons.
NYCFC, which shares its ownership group with English Premier League champion Manchester City, entered MLS as an expansion squad just seven seasons ago. The new kids on the block now own the undisputed bragging rights.
Johnson couldn’t help but take a dig at his team’s chief rival as he ended his postmatch Zoom call with reporters. "New York is blue," City’s captain said.
For Portland, the defeat is significantly more devastating. Sunday’s game set up perfectly for the hosts, who were playing in MLS Cup for the third time since 2015 but the first in front of their own fans.
Providence Park was rocking hours before the noon PT kickoff, and though NYC’s first-half opener from regular-season Golden Boot winner Valentin "Taty" Castellanos sapped some of the energy from the overflow crowd of 25,218, the 95-year-old venue shook to its core when Mora pulled the Timbers level with just seven seconds of the four minutes of stoppage time remaining.
But while Giovanni Savarese’s team had all the momentum heading into the extra half-hour, it wasn’t to be, as Mora and club icon Diego Valeri — playing in what was likely his final match for Portland — couldn’t beat Johnson in the tiebreaker.
"Soccer can be cruel," the Timbers coach said afterward. "We came close in the overtime. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a second goal to win this MLS Cup."
Instead, New York City found a way to overcome what could’ve been a death blow. To make matters worse, the Pigeons contended that Mora’s equalizer shouldn’t have counted because defender Maxime Chanot was fouled by Portland’s Larrys Mabiala on the play.
"In that moment, it’s devastating," City midfielder Alfredo Morales said. "We deserved to win the game in 90 minutes."
It took NYCFC most of the first half of the extra session to recover. "But in the second, we started to play more," coach Ronny Deila said afterward.
And when it went to penalties, the guests were always going to have a chance to play spoiler with the better goalie in the net.
"He wins us this game in the end," Delia said of Johnson — and he wasn’t just talking about the saves. "The way he’s stepped up the last few months has been absolutely unbelievable. The way he speaks to the team, the way he leads every day in training, how he brings people together and also when the big moments come, how he stands out time after time. He’s a winner."
And now so is NYCFC. And whatever critics want to say about them — they’re nomads because they share Yankee Stadium (and sometimes Red Bull Arena), they run on "oil money," they’re nothing more than a farm team for the all-important Manchester branch — they’re definitely a worthy MLS Cup champion.
The Pigeons have been as consistent as any team in the league over the past five years. Despite their embarrassing stadium situation that has no end in sight, they boast one of the league’s best-run front offices. And in the most crowded sports market in America, with the NFL, NBA and NHL in full swing, they now actually have some currency. In addition to the 3,000 visiting supporters who traveled cross-country on less than a week’s notice for the finale, thousands more packed the Hammerstein Ballroom in midtown Manhattan to watch the game.
There’s nothing like winning in New York. The hope now is that this MLS Cup will help launch NYCFC into a new era of relevance in the Five Boroughs and just maybe speed up the process of finally getting a home of its own built. NYCFC has already earned the support of New York City’s incoming mayor, Eric Adams, who publicly congratulated the team Sunday evening.
"We wanted to win this game for the fans, for the city, for us," Morales said.
They did it. They deserved it. And after hoisting the silverware, they’ll get to share it with eight million of their closest friends.
One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
