There was some lingering tension between Nš YCFC and Toronto FC, allegedly dating back to their previous meeting in March at Yankee Stadium, and that all boiled over after the finšal whistle Saturday.
First, a brawl started, with players from both teams ā including Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson and NYCFC defender Strahinja TanasijeviÄ at the center ā shovingš ašnd forming a cluster near one of the sidelines.
But then, in Torontoās postgame press conference following NYCFCās 3-2 win, head coach John Herdman and midfielder Jonathan Osorio ācornered and punchedā a 19-year-old player “in the face” at halftime during that March match.
Cushing, , denied the accusation, telling reporters that, āI can honestly say as a head coach, Iāve done 348 games, Iāve never ešver laid a finger on a player.ā
Osorio, though, said that āwe were just lettingą¹ them know weź¦ didnāt forget about that.ā
āI understand maybe we were, our emotions got the best of us a little bit and we were talking,ā Osorio added, ābut we weren’t being physical or nothing. But this is the second that they’ve gotten physical now with our players, and that’s how it started.ā
While the 19-year-old Toronto player wasnāt specifically named, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty is the only 19-year-old on its MLS rosterą¶£, , and he scored in the early minutes of their match in March.
āThat was the off-record report that came into the dressing room at halftime from the young 19-year-old, that said he got corneredš¦ and punched in the face,ā Herdman said.
There werenāt any working cameāras in that part of Yankee Stadium, Herdman said, and therefore the team possessed no evidence of the incident involving Cushing and the Toronto FC player.
And on Saturday, the tempers fląµ²ared after Johnson ā a former NYCFC keeper for six seasons and a member of their MLS ź¦¬Cup-winning team in 2021 ā was allegedly headbutted by an opposing player, according to Osorio.
Johnson and TanasijeviÄ were at the šcenter of the scrum to start, and after the pair were separated and TanasijeviÄ moved away, Johnson again tore toward the defender and the scuffle resumed.
NYCFC, whichš» sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference following the 3-2 win, took 2-0 and 3-1 leašds Saturday behind goals from Santiago RodrĆguez, Malachi Jones and AndrĆ©s Perea, though a goal from Raoul Petretta trimmed Torontoās deficit in the 89th minute.
The pašir of teams wonāt meet again in the regular sešÆason.