Want Union-NYCFC hype? Sean Johnson won’t give it to you, and that’s just how he likes it.

MONTREAL — The home team’s attacking players came at Sean Johnson in wave after wave, hoping for a breakthrough to swing momentum and electrify the crowd.

But just as Maxi Moralez’s early goal set the tone for New York City FC’s 3-1 win at CF Montréal, so did Johnson’s two huge saves for the visitors in the following minutes. They silenced the crowd, surely frustrated Montréal’s players, and kept things right where the Pigeons wanted them until Héber made it 2-0 late in the first half.

There will be another raucous crowd hollering at Johnson on Sunday when NYCFC comes to Subaru Park to face the Union (8 p.m., FS1 and Fox Deportes). Naturally, he was asked about that. He swatted the questions just as calmly as any of his seven total saves and 11 defensive recoveries.

“We understood obviously, who won the other Eastern Conference semi clash,” Johnson said. “For us it’s just about putting everything into this game today. Philly being the opponent, that’s who we have to go through to, to achieve what we want.”

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New York manager Nick Cushing was similarly stoic.

“I understand you guys are going to write a narrative of last year’s Eastern Conference final, [and] I expect the Philadelphia team that will be incredibly motivated,” he said. “I think what we’ve done really well in last year’s playoff run and this year’s is just play the next game. Forget the emotion, forget the occasion, forget the narrative that people are trying to write, and just be ourselves and play.”

The hype won’t just be based on last year’s Eastern Conference final, which New York won narrowly over a Union team missing 11 players due to COVID-19 protocols. This year’s Union-NYCFC games in the regular season were big deals too.

In March, the Union earned their first win at Yankee Stadium. In June, the Union earned a win in Chester that featured Union athletic trainer Paul Rushing’s ejection for pushing a New York player. There were mass confrontations in both games that drew attention from MLS’s disciplinary committee.

“It should be a good game — we’re looking forward to playing whoever steps on the field,” Johnson said. “Philly’s a good opponent, but ultimately, that’s been our mentality: every time we step on the field of play, doesn’t matter who it is, where it is, we approach it with the right mentality.”

That mentality is why Johnson was last year’s MLS Cup final MVP for his penalty kick shootout heroics, then an All-Star this year, and soon should be on the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup team.

“[The] Eastern conference final is massive, so my focus is really on the short term and making sure that I put all my energy in to do what’s necessary to to advance and to ultimately, win again” he said. “I’m not getting too far ahead of myself thinking about the future — just one day at a time, one training session at a time, and then before you know it, the Philly game will be here.”

Then he smiled for a moment.

“And we can get asked the same question then,” he said, “and hopefully be playing another weekend.”

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If you were a Union fan watching the game at home, the sight of all those Montréal charges could have given you hope for the Union to do the same Sunday at Subaru Park.

New York started in a 3-4-3 setup, with a much higher defensive line than the 5-3-2 FC Cincinnati played against the Union on Thursday. The Pigeons then switched to a 4-2-3-1 after centerback Maxime Chanot’s early injury, and returned to the first formation with the halftime arrival of Justin Haak for Maxi Moralez.

“When we went to a four [-back line], it just didn’t work,” Cushing said. “We were under pressure and they dominated us completely. But I had to trust the players because I didn’t want to use another substitution.”

Johnson paid that trust back, and paid his manager a compliment afterward.

“It’s what it took to win this game,” he said. “I think he’s been brilliant in terms of setting us up and giving us the best possible structure to go forward and win games, giving us confidence in that structure. We’ve had so many guys step up in a big way, and it’s a testament to how he is with the group.”

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Cushing returned the favor.

“I don’t think you can ever underestimate the moments today,” he said. “The two saves he makes in the first half are world-class. So you get to halftime and then we have a chance to switch it right back to five, and then it gives us momentum back in the game.”

That momentum will likely carry all the way through the week as New York tries to reach a second straight title game at the Union’s expense.

“I don’t see us as underdogs,” Johnson said. “We’ve played at a ton of venues this year, both home and away, so we’ve had the experience to play in different places and what it takes to mentally check in and be ready to go at any point in time. Looking forward to a big challenge, a great place to play, great energy in the stadium, and our fans will be there in full force as well.”