New York City FC take on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon in Phase 2 of the MLS season restart.
Here’s the Keys to the Match, presented by Tri-State Ford…
Five Games Undefeated
As NYCFC enter Phase 2 gameplay, they have gone undefeated in their last five games with four wins, one loss, and one draw. Their match against FC Cincinnati resulted in a 2-1 win for City and moved the team up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
With two explosive goals before and after the half, Alex Ring put one in the goal for City on 39’ after a pass from Gary Mackay-Steven and Anton Tinnerholm, recently voted Etihad Player of the Month, scored on 55’ with a powerful left foot volley.
Although Brandon Vázquez of FC Cincinnati got one past Sean Johnson on 74’, the team was able to lock in the win, and are looking forward to their match against the Revolution.
Can City make it six undefeated on Saturday afternoon?
Shift in the Lineup
With James Sands definitely out through yellow card accumulation and a couple of other injury-related question marks, fans can expect a shift in the starting XI going into Saturday’s match.
The press asked who Ronny Deila was considering to take Sands’ place against the Revolution. Whether it be Rocha stepping on the pitch, or captain Alex Ring playing back, as well as what ideas he has moving forward.
Deila responded: “I think you had the answer yourself, so I don’t need to answer that, we have different options to do that. Ring can play there, we have Nico who is ready to start games now, we have Tony. So, we’ll see. We’re going to find a good team.”
Revolution Form Check
New England Revolution fell 1-2 against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at Subaru Park.
Their only score coming from Tajon Buchanan on 81’ off an assist from forward Gustavo Bou both coming off the bench as subs in the second half. That defeat left Bruce Arena’s side in eight position in the standings, two points behind NYCFC going into their second meeting of the regular season.
H2H
This year, the Revolution already hosted City resulting in a 0-2 win for the Boys in Blue.
An own goal from Michael Mancienne (OG) on 59’ and a set-piece goal from Héber on 72’ locked in their third win in a row breaking the hosts’ seven-game unbeaten streak.
That scoreline meant that NYCFC now have a 5W-6L-3D record against New England and can tie up the all-time head-to-head with another victory in Foxborough.
How to Watch and Listen
Tune in YES Network at 4:00 PM ET for pregame coverage from Ian Joy and Joe Tolleson who will get you ready for Saturday’s match at 4:30 PM ET.
To follow along in English and Spanish visit NYCFC.com/Radio for full match coverage. Use the hashtag #NYCFC on social media to let us know you’re following along at home.
