The Doménec Torrent era is underway after New York City FC’s 2-1 come-from-behind win over the defending MLS Cup champion Toronto FC in the Bronx on Sunday.
The win was the first for Torrent, who arrived at the club just a day before the match, but first of what he believes is many more to come.
“We will really try to win every single night,” Torrent said after training on Tuesday. “Maybe it’s not possible, but we will try.”
The win was a big one for the Blues, who jumped ahead of the Red Bulls into second place in the Eastern Conference with the Hudson River Derby coming up on July 8. NYCFC plays four straight Eastern Conference rivals starting with a road-trip to the Chicago Fire on Saturday.
The win on Sunday also snapped a two-game winless streak for NYCFC after they lost 4-0 to the Red Bulls in U.S. Open Cup play before drawing Atlanta United 1-1 on June 9.
“I said in the [postgame] press conference that my feeling is the same. When I watched the training session, I felt that they are ready because I saw their intensity their whole training,” Torrent explained about the win. “It’s not easy when you lose the game.
“I say to my players ‘Okay. Don’t give up. Don’t give up. You’re able to win the game if you are able to score one goal, 100 percent.’ ”
First-year NYCFC forward Jo Inge Berget scored both goals for the Blues in the second half on Sunday, ending his two-month long scoring drought.
Torrent’s arrival at NYCFC comes after he spent over a decade with current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, whom Torrent won over 24 major trophies with, including the Champions League and, most recently, English Premier League title in which Manchester City cruised to a 100-point season. His experience and success in Europe could be what taps the full potential of NYCFC’s players. All of them.
“I’m very happy with their play,” Torrent said. “They have more quality than they think, 100 percent. I’m sure we have three or four players that can play in Europe. The most important thing for me is training the new, little bit different ideas.”
