There has been lingering tension between NYCFC and Toronto FC that reportedly dates back to their last meeting at Yankee Stadium in March, and it all boiled over after the final whistle on Saturday.
A scuffle began, with players from both teams (centered on Toronto goaltender Sean Johnson and New York City FC defender Strahinja Tanasijevic) jostling and forming a group near one sideline.
But then, in Toronto’s postgame press conference after NYCFC’s 3-2 win, head coach John Herdman and midfielder Jonathan Osorio said: NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing said: During a game in March, he “cornered” a 19-year-old player and punched him in the face during halftime.
cushing, According to multiple reportsdenied the accusations, telling reporters: “As a head coach, I can honestly say this: I’ve played 348 games and I’ve never laid a finger on a player.”
But Osorio said, “We just let them know we haven’t forgotten about it.”
“I understand that it probably was. We got a little emotional and we were talking,” Osorio added. But this was the second time they had physical contact with our players and that was the beginning. ”
No 19-year-old Toronto player was specifically named, but Jaquill Marshall-Latti is the only 19-year-old on an MLS roster. According to The AthleticAnd he scored a goal early in a game in March.
“It was an off-the-record report from a 19-year-old kid who came into the locker room at halftime and was cornered and punched in the face,” Hardman said.
Hardman said there were no working cameras in that part of Yankee Stadium, so the team had no evidence of the incident involving Cushing and Toronto FC players.
Then on Saturday, Osorio said Johnson, a former goalie for NYCFC for six seasons and a member of the 2021 MLS Cup championship team, sparked an outburst after an opponent allegedly headbutted him.
Johnson and Tanasijevic started in the center of the scrum, but after they separated and Tanasijevic moved away, Johnson ripped towards the defender again and the scuffle resumed.
NYCFC, which won 3-2 and is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, led 2-0 and 3-1 on Saturday with goals from Santiago Rodriguez, Malachi Jones and Andres Perea, but Raul Petretta’s goal. This shortened Toronto’s deficit. 89 minutes.
These teams will not meet again in the regular season.
