New York City Football Club are back on the road as they take on Columbus Crew on Saturday.
The Boys in Blue return to action in a 7:30pm ET kick-off at Lower.com Field.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford…
Road Blues
A chaotic few weeks has seen NYCFC rack up the air miles in the pursuit of points.
The pace of life doesn’t slow down quite yet, however, with Wednesday’s game against Charlotte representing a brief stop off home before two more testing trips on the road.
NYCFC have found a way to pick up points away from the Five Boroughs and not a moment too soon. Their upcoming meetings with Columbus Crew and Philadelphia Union pit them up against some of the toughest tests the Eastern Conference has to offer.
Although on the surface both games represent the chance to win three points, they also signify a chance to make a statement and highlight how far the group have come.
Goals Galore
NYCFC’s defensive record has been an important aspect of their recent run of form.
The Boys in Blue have managed two clean sheets in their last four road games, including last time out against CF Montréal.
Nick Cushing will be keen to start a streak of clean sheets on the road, and that goal will be tested this weekend against Columbus Crew. Wilfried Nancy’s team currently leads MLS for goals scored in part because of their impressive attacking trio of Lucas Zelarayan, Christian Ramirez, and Cucho Hernandez.
During the Crew’s current unbeaten streak, they have earned 17 points from a possible 21 and averaged 2.29 goals per game while conceding 1.29 goals per game.
That goal rush should make the game an entertaining affair and could be the ideal situation for an NYCFC side keen to attack.
Back in Action
Wednesday night saw NYCFC boosted by the return of Thiago Martins to the fold following injury.
The Brazilian defender has been an important cog in Nick Cushing’s team this season and will continue to work on his match fitness ahead of the game against the Crew.
Teammate Santiago Rodríguez will also return to the fold this weekend after serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation this weekend. The return of Rodríguez will be a significant boost for the attack at a critical time in the season.
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