NYCFC faces a stern test in their penultimate MLS regular-season match against the Philadelphia Union, away from home at Subaru Park on Saturday night.
The Boys in Blue and the Union have confirmed playoff spots, but NYCFC is in pursuit of the No. 2 seed, sitting just two points behind FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference standings. The matchup could also be a potential preview for a conference semifinal or final, down the line.
City is boosted by the return of top-scorer Alonso Martínez, who has scored three game-winners in the team’s three most recent away fixtures. The Costa Rican was ruled out of last week’s Hudson River Derby due to a quad injury, and his minutes will be managed.
“The medical team has worked 24/7 in order to get him ready again,” head coach Pascal Jansen revealed to amNewYork. “And everything is in place now — it’s up to me to make the right calls to have the strongest team on pitch when we kick off on Saturday.”
Goalkeeper Matthew Freese, who was taken off in the second half of the derby, is touch-and-go. Jansen reported that Freese is on his last day of protocol and “all looks good.”
The talismanic striker has been instrumental in NYCFC’s spot in the top four, scoring 17 goals in the league so far, matching his 2024 tally with two league matches and playoffs to come.
Had it not been for NYCFC’s terrible away form in the first half of the season, Jansen and his men could have been challenging for first in the East.
Before the four-game road trip in July, the Pigeons had only picked up one win in nine matches. After a late comeback win against Orlando, where Martínez scored the winner in injury time, NYCFC only dropped points in Kansas City, winning their last four away matches.
The Boys in Blue also have the fourth-best home form in the league this season, picking up 33 points from a possible 48. Jansen has reinvigorated a team that stuttered to a conference semi-final last season under Nick Cushing. Captain Thiago Martins puts it down to the culture Jansen set the moment he walked through the doors.
“He always said that he wanted to do something different,” Martins said. “He’s trying to do something different and we as players follow. We know we can get better, and he always pushes us to give our 100% every single time.”
Martins and his backline will be under the microscope again following a 4-0 defeat to Inter Miami and conceding two goals against the Red Bulls, especially one straight from the second-half kickoff.
The Union has scored seven goals in its last two matches, conceding none. Albeit, the data is skewed by Philadelphia’s 6-0 win against D.C. United.
“For us, it’s a game that we want to win,” Jansen told amNewYork. “We are one of the few teams that have beaten Philadelphia throughout the season, and we’re looking for a second win — that’s our mindset going into this away game, and that’s it.”
