NYCFC is back from the international break, preparing to head north of the border to face off against Toronto FC.
As the hunt for the season’s first win intensifies, here’s the Keys to the Match presented by Tri-State Ford…
Hungry for Three
Although NYCFC has yet to bring home those eminent three points in Season 5, the team has yet to concede a loss, and therefore remains undefeated.
With every matchup, the Boys in Blue have consistently seen improvement, from Orlando City SC to LAFC.
After settling for a goalless draw against D.C. United, the team found their goalscoring potential against LAFC, netting twice through Alexandru Mitriță and Alex Ring.
Although they were denied all three points by Carlos Vela’s brace, there were undoubted positives to take and reasons to believe that we’ll take all three points in Toronto under the Friday night lights.
Reds at Home
The Reds remain undefeated this season, scoring three goals in each game and with Jozy Altidore’s return and the addition of new DP Alejandro Pozuelo, NYC has some tough competition.
Facing off against a talented team who is undefeated this season, is not a new challenge for NYCFC, but doing it in hostile territory proves a new challenge in itself.
Our young team is ready for the challenge nonetheless, even if a number of players will have clocked some miles in the last couple of weeks…
Back from the Break
With 10 NYCFC players returning from all over the world after reporting to international duty, there may be some changes to Dome Torrent’s starting XI.
While the match comes too soon for Héber who is in Brazil awaiting a visa, there could be opportunities for some players who haven’t seen significant minutes in the opening 270 mins of the season.
Torrent will take a read on the condition of his players in Thursday’s session in New York before the team depart for Canada in the afternoon.
Head to Head
In our history against Toronto FC, NYCFC reigns victories with four wins and four draws in 11 meetings against the Reds. 50% of the wins were at BMO Field, so winning in the North is not an unknown feat for NYCFC.
The two teams faced off last on August 12, 2018 at BMO Field, a game in which Ismael Tajouri-Shradi scored twice and the team brought home a 3-2 victory.
Statistically Speaking
Finally, some statistical ballast for your pre-game conversations…
It’s no secret that Mitrita’s heating up - he leads the league in completed dribbles (16), despite featuring for significantly fewer minutes than his closest rivals: Carlos Vela, Kei Kamara and Pedro Santos.
In addition, NYCFC has scored 18 goals against Toronto FC with 12 of them being scored at BMO Field, proving that the boys feel comfortable in the North.
As the squad heads off to its second away game of the season, the one thing on everyone’s mind is winning. NYCFC and Toronto FC, are no strangers to one another, both teams have met time and time again. NYCFC maintains the lead over the Reds, now the question is; can we get those three points?
Don’t miss a minute of the excitement, support your Boys in Blue from wherever you are as they hunt for those three points by tuning into YES Network or FOX Sports GO.
Let’s bring home the win boys, #ForTheCity!
