New York City Football Club are back in action on Wednesday night, welcoming FC Cincinnati to Citi Field.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford…
Squad Boost
Interim Head Coach Nick Cushing says this week could see the Boys in Blue handed a major boost with the return of several key names.
Keaton Parks, Alex Callens, Thiago Martins, and Anton Tinnerholm are edging closer to comebacks and may be in contention for minutes against Cincinnati or Charlotte.
Having had a short roster to choose from and a packed fixture schedule, their availability could provide the tonic the team need to turn their form around, bringing fresh legs, a renewed energy, and increased tactical options, whilst ensuring enhanced recovery time for those who have deputized in their absence.
Cushing will confirm the latest team news in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Strong Record
New York boast an impressive record against Cincinnati, having won six of our seven meetings.
Among those encounters, we have registered 5-0, 5-2, and 4-0 triumphs, which the team will take confidence from, while the last fixture saw the two sides play out an enthralling 4-4 draw in Ohio.
On that occasion, the Boys in Blue made history by becoming the first MLS side to overcome a three-goal deficit before half-time, producing a remarkable comeback at the very end of the opening 45.
Eighth-placed Cincinnati will be seeking a positive result to lift themselves into the playoff places, after Pat Noonan’s side returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Charlotte.
Losing only one of their last 14, they are tied with Columbus for the fewest defeats since the beginning of June but had drawn 10 of their previous 13 MLS games heading into the weekend.
Roster Notes
Brazilian Forward Héber has found Cincinnati to be one of his most favored opponents, netting six goals against the Orange and Blue.
The 31-year-old has bagged braces in three of four matches against the Ohio outfit, including June’s eight-goal thriller.
Luciano Acosta, who opened the scoring and grabbed two assists for Brenner's hat-trick for the hosts in that game, has been a real creative spark this season with 23 goal contributions (seven goals and 16 assists) but will miss the game due to yellow card accumulation.
He was on the scoresheet again on Saturday and crafted Nick Hagglund’s opener, while Wednesday's visitors also pose an attacking threat from the backline with Defenders on the scoresheet in their last three games.
