The Boys in Blue start Leagues Cup play tomorrow against Liga MX side Club Puebla at the Sports Illustrated Stadium on Tuesday night.
Alonso Martínez grabbed all the headlines as New York City FC’s (NYCFC) hat-trick hero last time out in a 4-3 win against Dallas on Friday night.
The Costa Rican scored the 2-2 equalizer midway through the first half, then finished two excellent chances when played in — the second came right after the break, with the latter provided by new signing Nicolás Fernández Mercau in the 84th minute.
“The third one coming out of the dressing room was important for the match, but the fourth one is also very interesting,” head coach Pascal Jansen said in his pre-match press conference. “We got Nico in certain areas where we foresee that he can add more to our game.”
“The way he set it up with Alonso [showed] a good chemistry between players who understand each other and had the timing exactly right. We’re going in the right direction, and Nico can add more creativity to that play.”
The Costa Rican knows they have “shared very little time together” so far, but the goal they combined for was “amazing.”
“I am happy he arrived,” Martínez said. “I think that he is going to help me, and help us, going forward in the season.”
NYCFC will play all three Liga MX sides without captain Thiago Martins, who is “a huge piece in our back four,” Jansen said, but is missing due to knee surgery that rules him out for four to six weeks.
With Tayvon Gray slotting in at right center-back, Jansen thought the combination between him and right-back Mitja Ilenič “would work out,” but didn’t “make sure there was enough right chemistry between the two.”
However, the Dutchman is set on “never going away from our principles,” and attempting to play a high line whenever possible, and “[dealing] with the situation.”
The Leagues Cup presents new, interesting opposition and “a beautiful initiative” for Pascal Jansen in his first year of management in North America.
The Leagues Cup’s new format includes two phases, the first of which is played over the next week. The top 18 MLS qualifying teams — NYCFC qualified by making the playoffs last season — play against three different teams from the Liga MX, and points are tallied on two separate league-based tables.
All three matches are played within seven days, and the Liga MX teams are only three games into their season, while most MLS teams have played at least 24 matches.
The standard points system is followed. However, no matches will end in a draw and will go straight to penalties. The triumphant team will earn an extra point.
The top four from each league table advance to the quarterfinals, which are decided based on a fixed bracket.
Club Puebla presents an intriguing challenge, as they lost their first two matches but won 1-0 against Santos Laguna on Friday.
“The way they play is interesting, because the intensity and the aggression they play with, and the attacking mindset that has come across in analyzing this team, is something that I find very intriguing,” Jansen said. “Everybody on the team is very comfortable on the ball. I’m very curious to see how my team will hold up against these Mexican opponents; it’s going to be an interesting confrontation starting tomorrow.”
They continue on against James Rodriguez’s Club León on Friday and end Phase One of the Leagues Cup against Toluca.
