PORTLAND – When New York City FC face the Portland Timbers in Saturday's MLS Cup Final at Providence Park they'll regain the services of MLS' top forward – at least production-wise – from the 2021 season.
That would be standout striker Valentin Castellanos, who's set to return to the starting XI after sitting out NYCFC's Eastern Conference Final victory over the Philadelphia Union due to a red card suspension. The 22-year-old Argentine is a true game-changer, taking home Golden Boot honors with 19 goals and eight assists.
And speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday, head coach Ronny Deila credited Castellanos with assuming a leadership role both on and off the field.
"He's a very important player for us," Deila said before the title match (3 pm ET | ABC, UniMás in US; TSN, TVA Sports in Canada). "His value is one thing on the pitch, you see how he's fearless and he's very physical. He's a killer. And that gives the whole team energy and belief and I think it's psychologically important in the games. He starts the pressure all the time, he battles for every ball and that just gives a lot to the team and everybody looks at him when he puts that first. And also of course his ability to score goals and to attack spaces, that's important. So he gives more space to the other players around him because of his strength up front and inside the box."
"I've talked a lot about leadership during the two years I've been here. Sean \[Johnson\] has been a natural leader all the time and been captain this year," Deila added. "We have lost leaders and somebody else had to step up, and Taty is one of them who has really stepped up and going in front and shown in training and matches that this is the way we go."
When NYCFC are at their best, Castellanos and standout playmaker Maxi Moralez form one of the most dynamic 1-2 attacking punches in the league.
Castellanos' movement and finishing abilities grab the highlights, while Moralez is one of the league's very best facilitators, with 60 assists in 133 regular-season MLS games since he joined NYCFC in 2017.
"Castellanos\] is very important to us, he's a top goal-scorer," Moralez said through a translator on Thursday. "Obviously we missed him in the Eastern Conference Final, but [Heber came in and did a great job. But for us it's going to be trying to play at the same level we've been all season and him giving the same output and it's also going to be important for him facing Portland."
Asked about preparing for a striker like Castellanos, Portland head coach Giovanni Savarese acknowledged the challenge but quickly noted that NYCFC aren't defined by one player.
Savarese added that the Timbers have a deep and talented forward group of their own, highlighted by Chilean international Felipe Mora and Polish Designated Player Jaroslaw Niezgoda, making it one of the more intriguing matchups to watch heading into the match.
"When you are the Golden Boot [winner] it means you had a good season because every striker, the main target is to help the team to try to score as many goals as you can and have the confidence on the field to be able to score goals," Savarese said. "And he's done that, he's a competitive player. He's shown that during the season.
"I believe that New York City is thinking the same thing about Mora and Niezgoda as we're thinking about Castellanos and the other forwards they have as well. It's all part of the preparation that we're having and both teams are trying to focus on that plus all the other things we have to focus on because New York City's not only the forward, Portland is not only Mora and Niezgoda. There's a lot more players and that's why I think this game is going to be a very good game."
