New England Revolution at New York City FC: Facts & Figures

Home Sweet Home:

Major League Soccer teams playing in their first-ever home match are 14-3-6 (excluding shoot-out results). Since 2005, the only teams to lose their first league home game are Chivas USA ('05), Toronto FC ('07) and San Jose Earthquakes ('08).

Sharing is Caring:

As a team, New York City FC had the highest passing accuracy across the league on opening weekend (81.2%). Midfielder Mix Diskerud topped the league with 94.7 percent pass accuracy, completing 72 of 76 attempts in the Club's 1-1 draw at Orlando City SC on March 8. Mix also scored the first-ever goal in Club history. His performance earned him a spot on the MLS Team of the Week.

Efficient team passing is nothing new for New York City FC head coach Jason Kreis' squads. In 2013, his last season in charge at Real Salt Lake, the club topped MLS with an 80.3 percent passing accuracy.

Super Strikers:

Both New York City FC and New England will be relying on their top strikers, not just for Sunday's match, but for the entire season. David Villa leads the front line for New York City FC, while Juan Agudelo spearheads the Revolution attack.

Villa, 33, has registered double-digit goal totals in league play in all but one of his seasons as a professional in Spain, including his first at Sporting Gijon B (1999-2000). He scored just five goals in the 2011-12 campaign with Barcelona, but played in just 15 matches, missing most of the season with a broken leg.

Agudelo, 22, scored a career-high seven goals in 14 matches (11 starts) in 2013, his first season with the Revolution.

Below is a statistical comparison between the two strikers:

A Welcomed Return:

Not only was the March 8 match in Orlando a historic occasion for New York City FC, it was a meaningful event for goalkeeper 
Josh Saunders
. The 34-year-old veteran played in his first MLS match since July 13, 2013. On that day, the then-Real Salt Lake goalie tore the ACL in his left knee.

"I was really, really pleased for him because Josh has had a long story of injury problems and disappointments over the last couple of years," said Kreis, who was Saunders' head coach at RSL. "It represents a terrific comeback story. He played extremely well Sunday in some very difficult circumstances. I couldn’t be happier for him."

Saunders, who was signed by New York City FC on July 10, 2014 and had a loan with the San Antonio Scorpions of the NASL, had two vital saves in the Club's 1-1 draw in Week 1. His second stop was nominated for the MLS Save of the Week.

"Obviously it felt great," he said. "Being in front of that many people it’s always a good feeling, especially when you take a point away. I was emotional. At the same time it’s a long season and I look forward to many more games like that."

Jones' Influence:

One player certainly doesn't make a team, but his presence (or lack thereof) can certainly influence play and results. New England Revolution midfielder Jermaine Jones certainly had an impact after joining the club on August 24, 2014.

The club went 8-1-1 in 10 regular-season matches with the United States national team midfielder on the field en route to an appearance in the MLS Cup finals. New England had just nine wins in their first 24 matches (9-3-12) last season prior to signing Jones.

Jones, who spent 2007-14 with FC Schalke 04 in Germany, missed the Revolution's 2015 opener against Seattle -- a 3-0 loss -- as he continues his recovery from hernia surgery on February 10. He will remain sidelined on Sunday for New York City FC's Historic Home Opener at the iconic Yankee Stadium. He's expected to be out 4-6 weeks.