New York City FC play their home opener this Saturday against Portland Timbers.
The Boys in Blue return to action in a 2:00PM ET kick-off at Yankee Stadium.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford…
Home Opener
Home is where the heart is, and that’s no different for New York City FC.
After two testing road games, the Boys in Blue are finally heading home. Back in the Bronx for the first time in four months, New York City FC are ready and eager to pick up some points.
Historically, home openers have been a source of joy for the Boys in Blue – with seven wins from nine home openers. The occasion will be particularly exciting for those new faces that have heard about the Club’s tremendous home support, but not seen it up close.
Portland have themselves added some new faces, with Kamal Miller, Bryan Acosta, Maxime Crépeau, Miguel Araujo, and Antony all arriving in the off-season.
Tickets are still available for the match and it promises to be a memorable occasion, so don’t miss out as the boys return to the Boogie Down Bronx.
Changes
The absence of James Sands this weekend will afford Nick Cushing the opportunity to make changes in midfield.
Andrés Perea and Keaton Parks should offer the team a solid blend of skills and abilities, while ahead of them, Hannes Wolf has shown glimpses of his ability to stitch together the attack. Agustín Ojeda has now made his New York City FC debut, meaning Cushing could turn to the Argentine this weekend.
Elsewhere, the likes of Jovan Mijatović, Julián Fernández, Andres Jasson, and Alonso Martínez all offer options in attack and could come in against Portland. That element of unpredictability makes City a dangerous proposition, and one that could catch Portland out this weekend.
Memories
It was touched on in the post-game press conference last week, but the mere mention of New York City FC and Portland Timbers conjures memories of 2021.
It was on a rainy day in Portland that City made history by securing their first MLS Cup. Those memories, in the pounding wind and driving rain, still remain fond, with the day serving as the launchpad for the Club to move into a new chapter.
New York City FC and the Timbers have played each other eight times across the MLS regular season and post season. The most recent meeting saw the two teams play out a 1-1 tie at Providence Park thanks to a Keaton Parks goal. Prior to that occasion and MLS Cup, City had managed to beat Portland only once – back in 2016 – thanks to a Tommy McNamara goal.
Saturday provides the team the chance to make history with Portland, who themselves have started the season well, recording a 4-1 win against Colorado and a 2-2 draw against D.C. United.
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