New York City FC returned to their winning ways, outplaying a physical Comunicaciones FC to triumph in the first leg of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals by a score of 3-1.
At first, the NYCFC squad had trouble adjusting to an opponent who went after City with a relentless high press and aggressive man-to-man defending—and to a referee who often seemed to forget he had a whistle in his hand. But the quality of the City players came through. The team kept their focus even if they didn’t get the calls, and because of NYCFC’s creativity in front of goal the squad will travel to face Comunicaciones in Guatemala City next week in a good position to advance to the CCL Semifinals for the first time in club history.