Young in its own right, New York City FC hosts first-year MLS club Minnesota United

In its third season in Major League Soccer, New York City FC has shed the tag as the league’s youngest club all thanks to its next opponent.

The Boys in Blue welcome first-year club Minnesota United to Yankee Stadium in midweek action Thursday night, a meeting between the two newest clubs in the league in very different positions within their conference.

While NYCFC fights for the top spot in the East with a realistic chance of winning the Supporters Shield in its third season, United are two spots from the bottom of the Western Conference, earning 18 points in its first 17 matches.

The inaugural season hasn’t been ideal for the club which plays home matches at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota’s football team, but there are bright spots on an individual level.

Christian Ramirez, the striker who lit up the NASL for United in his first three seasons, has seen his form move with him to MLS. The California native has nine goals on the year, five behind Nemanja Nikolic for the league lead and just one behind NYCFC’s top scorer David Villa.

Villa saw his goal drought against New York Red Bulls continue at the weekend, but he’ll be happy on a collective level as NYCFC wiped the floor with their rivals on their turf in a 2-0 win. The Boys in Blue were dominant in midfield, impressive in its own right but even more so considering they did it without the engine of their midfield Maxi Moralez. The club’s assist leader on the year was ruled out of Thursday’s match with the same calf injury he suffered against the Red Bulls in cup action on June 15, meaning NYCFC will be without one of their best players once again.

But if the midfield — which is likely to be the same combination of Alex Ring, Yangel Herrera and Thomas McNamara — can control United the way it did the Red Bulls, it’d be a big step in coming out winners of the first ever meeting between the young MLS clubs.

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