In case anybody didn't get the memo, New York City FC are the defending MLS Cup champions.
It's probably worth reminding people, considering how little attention the Cityzens are getting among the clubs still in contention to lift the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy on Nov. 5.
For starters, NYCFC are coming off arguably the most dominant performance in Round One of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs – a 3-0 shellacking of Inter Miami CF. And secondly, they literally won it all last year under almost the same circumstances.
“I think we’re in a similar spot to where we were last season, to be honest," defender Anton Tinnerholm said to the media, two days before Sunday's Eastern Conference Semifinal visit to second-seeded CF Montréal (1 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN3 in US; TSN4, TVA Sports in Canada).
"We finished in fourth [place] last season and this season we finished third, so it reminds me a lot of last season with the first game at home and then three away games."
And just like in 2021, they're getting hot at the right time. Winners of their last five matches across all competitions, NYCFC made a considerable statement in Monday night's rout of Miami.
"We played maybe our best game of the season so far," added Tinnerholm, who missed last year's Cup run with an Achilles tear. “We’re feeling like we have good momentum right now. We wanna keep on going."
Even more impressively, they're doing it without three injured starters: Talles Magno, Tayvon Gray and Alfredo Morales.
According to interim head coach Nick Cushing, two of them should be available this weekend at Stade Saputo.
"Talles trained this morning, he trained yesterday and today. It's really positive, two days of training. So he's back in the squad," the Englishman said. "Tayvon just had a fitness test this morning, we're waiting on the update. He'll probably have another run tomorrow and then he'll be available for the game."
Even with his squad nearly back at full strength, Cushing isn't taking anything for granted against a Montréal side that finished the regular season with an 11W-1L-3D record before clinically dispatching Orlando City SC, 2-0, in their playoff opener.
"I just think they're a really good team. I think you have to try and stop them from causing you problems in and around the box," he said.
"We've reviewed the Miami game. There were parts of the game, the start, that we felt we defended well but we were in positions and places that we don't want to be in during the Montréal game."
For Cushing, the most important thing is keeping the wins coming rather than comparing his team to Sunday's opponents – not to mention Supporters' Shield winners LAFC or the Philadelphia Union, who await the winner of Montréal-NYCFC in the Eastern Conference Final.
"We look at ourselves. Most of what we look at is our performances, our game film," Cushing said. "We don't look so much outside for what people say about us and we don't feed off recognition.
"... At the moment, our full focus is on Montréal."
Be it CFMTL or any other opponent NYCFC may end up facing in these playoffs, Tinnerholm has a warning for everyone: "I think that when we play at our best we’re the best team in the league."
