New York City FC travels to Columbus Crew SC this weekend aiming to kick off September with three points.
Here’s Managing Editor Mark Booth with the Major Keys to the Match, presented by Tri-State Ford…
Big Game
Saturday night’s showdown is a rerun of the Eastern Conference semifinals tie which Columbus edged despite a thrilling rally from City in the home leg.
The damage was inflicted on the road in the first leg when ten-man NYCFC went down to a heavy defeat and this will be our first return to the MAPFRE Stadium since.
It’s a top of the Conference clash too, with third facing fourth, as the race for the MLS Playoffs really heats up, with just eight Regular Season games to go.
With Red Bulls and Atlanta United showing no signs of slipping up, it’s essential that NYC keep the pressure on.
Decisive Weekend
Speaking of our Conference rivals, this could be a decisive weekend for NYCFC as we look to get back in the top two.
For Red Bulls, there’s a trip to Montreal to negotiate on Saturday, while Atlanta are travelling to D.C. United on Sunday night - with seven points separating the top three as it stands, City must ensure they aren’t cut adrift at the summit.
Past Battles
Despite last season’s MLS Playoffs heartache, NYCFC’s record vs. Columbus has got progressively better of late.
After failing to win in the first three meetings, we’re now undefeated in our last five Regular Season clashes with the Crew, winning three and drawing two.
That proud recent run includes the 2-0 victory served up by the Boys in Blue in the BX in an unforgettable three-game week in July.
More of the same on Saturday please, lads.
Mutual Respect
Dome Torrent certainly has plenty of respect for Saturday’s hosts, describing them as one of the best possession teams in the league.
"Columbus is a team who demands from us focus and concentration on every single pass, every single play because they play really well, maybe the best team in our conference with the ball because they are able to play two or three different ways,” Torrent said. “We have to be focused on that.”
That respect is mutual, with Columbus Head Coach and Sporting Director Gregg Berhalter praising their upcoming visitors.
Berhalter said: “I think New York has a ton of talent. I think — well I know— they create a lot of goal scoring opportunities, a lot of shots inside the penalty box. So, we know we are going to have our hands full but we think we can hurt them as well and we think there were certainly opportunities in the first game that we played where we could have scored goals and we’re looking to hit the back of the net in Saturday’s game.”
Depth Test
NYCFC showed they can revel in adversity with the incredible nine-man stand vs. Red Bulls last time out but there are still knock-on effects from that game for this one.
For starters, Eloi Amagat and Ebenezer Ofori are out with red card suspensions, while Jesus Medina and Jo Inge Berget have both missed training this week and are not expected to feature this weekend.
It’ll be a race against time for Alexander Callens, who is working his way back from injury but Taty Castellanos looks ready to return after suffering an injury early on in his City career.
These are the moments that squad depth needs to show, just as it did last Wednesday night in the Bronx.
Come on City!
