A small stop in action during the international break has quickly turned into a bulldozer of high-quality matches for New York City FC.
Three days after a grueling derby loss away against rivals New York Red Bulls in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Boys in Blue are given the chance to knock off defending Major League Soccer Cup champions Seattle Sounders at Yankee Stadium (1 p.m., ESPN).
Given the fact NYCFC returns to Red Bull Arena a week from Saturday for a chance at revenge in MLS action, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the hype of another approaching derby, but the Blues continue to look at their season one match at a time.
“We need to forget about this,” said striker David Villa, one of the few positive performers on the night for NYCFC. “We are out of the US Open Cup and (need to) think about Saturday’s game (against Seattle). It is very important for us to continue in the league … We now need to be focused on the Seattle game because, it’s a classic to say but you need to be thinking about the next chapter and the next chapter is Seattle.”
The visitors have both momentum — they’re coming off a 2-1 win over their biggest rivals Portland Timbers in the U.S. Open Cup — and history on their side.
Both times these teams faced since NYCFC joined the league in 2015, it was the away side who came away with three points. After falling 3-1 at home to the Sounders in its inaugural season, the Blues earned revenge at CenturyLink Field with a convincing 2-0 win in 2016.
Looking to change the trend in the third meeting, NYCFC can bank on its decent home form — the Blues have won four times, drawn twice and lost just once in seven home matches in MLS action, outscoring opponents 15-8 in the process — and on the Sounders’ lackluster play away from home. The visitors have won just once away from home, drawing twice and losing five times in eight away matches.
A key for NYCFC to succeed may arrive in an early goal, something the Blues have struggled to find at home as of late.
While the Blues fielded a strong line-up against the Red Bulls, including usual starters David Villa, Maxi Moralez (who was subbed off at the half with a calf injury), Alex Ring and Jack Harrison, Seattle fielded a number of reserves in its match against Portland, leaving some fresh legs among many of its usual starters.
The closer the clock ticks towards the 90 minute mark, the more susceptible the Blues seem to conceding a goal that buries them. And while they managed to dig themselves out in their latest MLS outing with two goals in the final 10 minutes of a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union, the same can’t be said for the match prior against the New England Revolution.
“We’ve got to start putting together a full 90 minutes, myself included,” said goalkeeper Sean Johnson. “We have to look forward to the weekend. We have an important match on Saturday against Seattle and we can’t really dwell on the past. It is what it is.”
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