Decision day. The final match of the MLS regular season is upon us.
NYCFC will duel with the Seattle Sounders at Citi Field on Saturday at 6 pm ET. Major playoff implications are at the mercy of this result. If the New York City FC win and Charlotte FC lose or draw, then MLS playoff soccer will be played in the Big Apple.
NYCFC will look to rebound from a narrow loss away to the Philadelphia Union, which conceded the Supporters Shield and Eastern Conference title to the hosts. The international break should have both teams well rested to jostle for momentum going into the playoffs. The Sounders’ fate is already sealed. They will be traveling to their first away game of the playoffs to face Minnesota, LAFC, or San Diego FC.
NYCFC must secure at least a point if they want any chance of having home advantage in the playoffs. If they lose they could fall as far seventh place, which would put them in danger of playing Inter Miami away in the first round. If standings hold where they are, NYCFC will travel slightly less far south to Charlotte to face the team they shut out just over three weeks ago.
Christian Roldan and Albert Rusnak are Sounders players worth honing in on. Roldan has been the man of the match six times this season for his hometown team. He is also coming off his best-ever performance for the US men’s national team, where he assisted both of Haji Wright’s goals in a 2-1 comeback win against Australia. New York City FC also had a starter in that lineup that faced the Soccerroos. Matt “Ice” Freese started his 11th game as the men’s national team keeper and appears to be in serious contention for the starting job going into next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Alonso Martinez has been the player of the season for NYCFC. Martinez’s goals have been vital and impressive for a team that has relied on him heavily for offense. Coach Pascal Jansen will undoubtedly be pleased to know his striker scored two, assisted one, and was dubbed man of the match in Costa Rica’s World Cup Qualifying match versus Nicaragua. Martinez put his nation on his shoulders this week and will look to carry the City Blues into home-field advantage with a final win of the regular season.
NYCFC and Seattle have only faced each other seven times overall. The spoils have been shared equally. Each team has three wins, and they drew the last time they played, more than three years ago, in the Concacaf Champions League. Only two players remain from the starting lineup that faced Seattle in April 2022: Tayvon Gray and Thiago Martins. Seattle has maintained eight of the players that started that spring day at the Stadium formerly known as Red Bull Arena.
For more on NYCFC, visit AMNY.com
