New York City Football Club are back on the road this weekend with a trip to Charlotte FC.
The Boys in Blue travel to North Carolina in a 7:30pm ET kick-off at Bank of America Stadium, looking to bounce back from a narrow defeat to Toronto FC last time out.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford…
On The Road Again
Game number two of a five-game road stretch for the Boys in Blue.
Without a win away from home so far in 2023, Nick Cushing’s side are determined to set things right on their travels, and cure their homesickness as soon as possible.
The sooner the City Boys can push through the road block, the better, and three points this weekend to snap the recent run would provide a major psychological boost and confidence lift to take into a tricky schedule.
Front Foot
With a week to reflect on the disappointment in Toronto, the squad will have identified areas of improvement to be implemented immediately.
Learning the lessons from the clash at BMO Field, the players are now in the process of working to address the issues, sharpening up at both ends of the pitch.
Speaking after the trip to Canada, Cushing admitted the team’s slow start had played a major part in the result – and so the Boys in Blue must dust themselves off, put the setback behind them and come out flying in North Carolina.
The Head Coach also acknowledged the need for his side to problem-solve during the game – a quality that will come with time and experience, with the players still gelling and perfecting the process.
Having been unable to dominate possession to their usual standard against Toronto, the Boys in Blue will certainly look to utilize the ball much more effectively and efficiently against The Crown.
Third Time Lucky?
This weekend’s fixture marks only the third meeting between NYCFC and Charlotte, with both previous encounters taking place last season.
The Crown emerged victorious from both match-ups, triumphing home and away, in the midst of what proved to be a challenging period for Cushing’s side.
The North Carolina outfit have endured a tough start themselves to the 2023 campaign, currently sitting second bottom of the Eastern Conference with a record of 2-5-3, but are unbeaten in their last four at home, having mounted an improved run of form before falling to D.C. United last time out.
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