MONTREAL -- In reaching double digit goals, Jack Harrison is proving he is a secondary threat worthy of complementing New York City FC superstar David Villa.
With Villa getting a rest on Wednesday night in his quest to claim the MLS Golden Boot, Harrison stepped up and scored his 10th goal of the season to lift NYCFC to a 1-0 win against the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo.
"I think it's important for us not to rely on [Villa], and we have great depth on our team and it's good that we don't have to rely on him," Harrison said. "I wasn't the only one that had a go tonight. I mean, we could have had many more chances from a bunch of other players as well. So it just shows that we don't always have to rely on him. He is a great attribute to our team but we have depth on our team that we can fulfill his spot."
The visitors dominated in scoring chances despite only putting one beyond 'keeper Evan Bush, outshooting Montreal 22-10 while posting a 58 percent possession rate.
Harrison, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, converted his opportunity when drove a left-footed blast past Bush into the top of the net in the 29th minute.
"I think Jack is improving as a player," NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira said. "I think he's a better player today than he was last year. He's working really hard, working really hard for the team, and when we play the way we played today we were always creating chances, and he scored a fantastic goal. I think there is no doubt about his talent but he needs to keep working hard to keep developing his talent."
Vieira highlighted the 20-year-old's work ethic when asked about the progression in his sophomore season, as well as the ability and willingness to learn from quality teammates like Villa and Frank Lampard.
Harrison agreed about the latter.
"It's been very valuable," Harrison said. "I'm trying to learn as much as I can with the players surrounding me and the coaching staff, and I'm always looking at where I can improve. And I know I've still got a long way to go so I'm willing to do whatever it takes to improve myself and get to the next step."
Despite Harrison's contributions akreadt, Vieira believes he's far from a finished product.
"I'm not surprised with the goal he scored because I think he's got the talent to do it, but I still want more from Jack," Vieira said.
