New York City FC finish out the regular season with a meeting against Philadelphia Union on Sunday.
Here's the Keys to the Match...
All To Play For
While Ronny Deila won’t have been agonizing over results at the weekend, you can imagine he may have been informed at some stage how his Eastern Conference rivals got on.
A controversial draw for Nashville SC against Orlando City SC sets up a tight finish this weekend, with Gary Smith’s side facing Red Bulls, while NYCFC take on Philadelphia Union. What this means, in the grand scheme of things, is that anyone of NYCFC, Philadelphia, or Nashville could finish second place on Sunday.
Deila has always preached the need to build momentum heading into the playoffs, and for that reason alone he won’t be taking things easy on Sunday. The benefit of home-field advantage is only further motivation to a team keen to finish the regular season on a high.
Get their early, because this is going to be an exciting one.
Decisions, Decisions
While the term ‘selection headache’ sounds like a bad thing in soccer, it is often what most head coaches strive for.
Go back to the start of the season and one of the key messages emerging from Ronny Deila was the necessity for strength and depth. That has certainly arrived, and we saw it first hand against Inter Miami CF and Atlanta United recently.
In both instances, Deila’s substitutes came on and had a sizable impact on proceedings, with Gudi Thórarinsson finding the net against Atlanta, and Talles Magno against Inter Miami.
Those kinds of performances afford Deila confidence when selecting his team. For opponents, it leaves an air of unpredictability to how NYCFC will line up, especially given the team are comfortable in several formations. For that reason, don’t be surprised if the starting XI you expect before the game differs to the one named.
Big Finish
One thing both players and staff have been unwavering on this season is their appreciation for playing at Yankee Stadium in front of fans. The return of supporters to the stadium has been a massive boost to this group, and has been the stage for some of their best performances.
The energy of the crowd is a key influence over proceedings, and the chance to finish the regular season in style is something everyone at the club would like.
