New York City FC vs. Montreal Impact: Match Preview

Jason Kreis referred to it a “breath of fresh air.”

Shay Facey said it was a “massive weight off our shoulders.”

New York City FC’s 2-1 comeback victory against the Philadelphia Union on June 6 at PPL Park wasn’t only the Club’s first-ever road victory, it was also their first win since March 15 – snapping an 11-game winless streak.

The Club hopes to continue to build off of their confidence as New York City FC host the Montreal Impact on Saturday night.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT at Yankee Stadium. The match will be broadcast on YES Network, 970 AM and WQBU.

“It gives us confidence that everything we are doing and continue to do in training is the right thing,” Facey, a defender, said. “The togetherness is there. That’s the main ingredient. We have the togetherness, the hunger, the passion and the hard work.

“The football will take care of itself. It’s a new team coming together and getting comfortable with each other.”

Like the rest of his New York City FC teammates, Facey is gaining confidence and a level of comfort with his fellow players. The 20-year-old Mancunian, who is on loan from the Manchester City Elite Development Squad until June 30, has started the last three matches.

Facey has seven appearances with five starts during the regular season with New York City FC. He joined the Club during preseason legs in Jacksonville, Fla.; Manchester, England and Charleston, S.C.

“I really like Shay’s spirt and mentality,” head coach Jason Kreis said. “He’s a real competitor. He’s very hungry to be a part of what’s going on here and he’s very driven to move his professional career forward.”

“He impressed the coaching staff with his performances and his leadership,” Sporting Director Claudio Reyna said when Facey’s loan was announced on March 6. “Even though he’s young, he’s got a good presence about him. More than anything, he’s a great addition to the team. He’s really enthusiastic about this opportunity to be a part of New York City FC in the first year.”

Both New York City FC and Montreal enter Saturday’s match coming off vital road victories.

New York City FC (2-7-5; 11 points) ended an 11-game winless drought with a 2-1 win at Philadelphia at PPL Park. The Impact (4-4-2; 14 points) won 2-1 at Columbus Crew SC, snapping a 25-road game winless streak that stretched back to Sept. 28, 2013.

"We’ve been training and working feeling like we’re carrying a big, giant ape on our shoulders," Kreis said. "I think a result like that could mean that ape now leaves and we can work the right way. I’m hopeful being able to work the right way this week in training means we can have confidence and positivity going into Saturday, but it’s not going to be easy because this is a really good team coming to town with some good players."

The CONCACAF Champions League runners up have won four of their last five in Major League Soccer; allowing one goal in each of those victories. Montreal needed 23 matches to reach win No. 4 during the 2014 campaign.

Ignacio Piatti, Andres Romero and Jack McInerney have three goals apiece, while Piatti has a team-high three assists.

“They have big, quick strikers like most of the MLS,” Facey said. “They have good presence up top and a few players who can play.

“Our focus remains the same, though. We want to keep winning and keep the ball rolling."