CF Montreal skipper Samuel Piette and right-back Alistair Johnston have heaped praise on New York City FC ahead of Sunday’s MLS playoff semifinal tie between the two sides at Montreal’s Saputo Grounds.The two teams secured semifinal berths after picking easy wins in the first knockout rounds. The hosts Montreal defeated Orlando City 2-0 while NYCFC demolished Inter Miami FC to set up a semis tie between the two teams that will be staged at Montreal’s home ground.##NAJAVA_MECA_6745594##Both teams are currently on a good run. Montreal are unbeaten in the last seven games and have picked five wins in a row while New York City have four wins in a row. In the just-concluded season, New York demolished Montreal 4-1 in the first leg while the return leg ended in a barren stalemate.Ahead of the game, Piette, who is expected to partner with Victor Wanyama and Ismail Ikone at the heart of midfield expects a tough he however believes that the fans could steer the team to the final on Sunday.“We know it’s going to be a tough game and we’ll have to be careful, but we can’t let doubt affect our confidence. I was watching the game and New York was definitely the superior team, so there’s no surprise we were playing them. They’re still a very good team with the ball and in possession just like us so the matchup with be pretty tight. It can go either way especially when both teams are so familiar but the atmosphere, especially if it was like the last game, will be key,” the skipper told sportsnet.ca..@cfmontreal’s success story is a Canadian soccer success story. 🇨🇦On Sunday, they go for a spot in the Eastern Conference Final.Courtesy TSN // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/HY2FT4c8Ku— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 21, 2022 His sentiments were echoed by Canadian right-back Johnston. Although he admits that the departure of forward, Valentín Castellanos to the Spanish side, Girona makes their opponents unpredictable“We’re two teams that are in different places now. They’re on a pretty good hot streak coming into this game and finding their stride. When you take out Tatí [Castellanos] it takes a couple of weeks to figure out what it’s going to look like without him up there and now they’re in a good spot,”.Ogutu confirmed as new Kibera Black Stars head coach
