James Sands will make his first MLS start for NYCFC in Wednesday night's showdown with the New England Revolution.
The 18-year old midfielder has returned from a loan spell at Louisville City where he made three USL appearances and goes straight into Dome Torrent's XI as one of four changes from Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Columbus.
Elsewhere, Alexander Callens returns to the team following his knee injury in place of Maxime Chanot who is away with Luxembourg and it's Taty Castellanos in for Rodney Wallace who is also absent due to the FIFA window.
On the face of it, Torrent has selected a 4-3-3, with Taty and Ronald Matarrita providing the width on either side of David Villa, with Maxi Moralez, Alex Ring and Sands the midfield three.
At the back, Callens partners Etihad Player of the Month nominee Sebastien Ibeagha, with Anton Tinnerholm and Ben Sweat at full-back ahead of Sean Johnson in goal.
On the bench, there's potential for more NYCFC MLS debuts, with Joe Scally and Daniel Bedoya both waiting in the wings, alongside Jonathan Lewis, Brad Stuver, Tommy McNamara, Eloi Amagat and Kwame Awuah.
Kick-off in the Bronx is at 7pm and the match will be broadcasted live on YES Network and at NYCFC.com/Radio.
Come on you Boys in Blue!
NYCFC XI: Johnson, Tinnerholm, Callens, Ibeagha, Sweat, Sands, Ring, Matarrita, Moralez, Castellanos, Villa (C)
Substitutes: Stuver, Scally, Awuah, Bedoya, McNamara, Amagat, Lewis
Opta Stats
- The Revolution has lost just once in their last five league meetings with New York City (2W- 2D), scoring 10 goals in that time. They have five goals in their first five MLS games against City.
- New York City has won just once in their last six games (3L-2D), conceding 12 goals in that time – two fewer than they had allowed in their previous 12 MLS matches.
- The Revolution are winless in their last nine games (6L-3D). They haven’t gone more than eight games without a win since going ten winless between July and September 2012.
- NYCFC have scored the most left-footed goals in the league this year with 28. The New England Revolution have scored the fewest left footed goals in the league with three.
- The Revolution average 0.5 points per game when Juan Agudelo starts (1W-8L-2D) and 1.7 points per game when he does not (6W-2L-7D).
- New York City had a total of seven shots against Columbus over the weekend, tied for their fewest in a league game this year.
- Scott Caldwell’s goal last weekend was his first in his last 40 league appearances and his fourth in 172 MLS games. All four of his career goals have come against Western Conference opponents.
- Ismael Tajouri-Shradi has three braces this season, including one against New England back in March. Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (four) has more braces in 2018.
- Luis Caicedo who 70.6% of his duels last weekend, tied for the sixth-highest duel success rate for a Revolution player in a MLS match in which they took part in 17+ duels.
- Sebastien Ibeagha had nine clearances against Columbus last weekend, his third game with 9+ clearances in 2018. Only Frederic Brillant (nine) and Maxime Chanot (four) have more such games.
