After ending a franchise-record winless streak on Saturday, New York City FC can claim a first-ever MLS victory versus Charlotte FC when the two sides meet on Wednesday at Citi Field.
Over the weekend, the Pigeons defeated CF Montreal 1-0 to snap an 11-game run without a victory in this competition, while the Crown have gone five matches without a win in MLS play, drawing Le CFM 0-0 in their previous encounter.
Match preview
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It has been a while since Nick Cushing saw his side emerge victorious from an MLS fixture, but on Saturday, they finally got that monkey off their back, as they were able to kill two birds with one stone.
That victory was not only their first away from home this season, but it also ended a run of 12 successive matches without a win for them in all competitions as the Boys in Blue became just the second MLS side this year to find the back of the net at Saputo Stadium.
Now that their slump is over, Cushing and company can look at the opposite side of the coin, with NYCFC now unbeaten in six consecutive domestic outings, including five draws, as they are currently on the joint-second longest active unbeaten run in the league.
The Boys in Blue have notched the opening goal on eight occasions this year, though Saturday was the first time since April 22 that they collected maximum points when doing so.
All of a sudden, their outlook appears to be much brighter, as the Pigeons are just two points back of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and have an opportunity to climb up the table with their next three games coming against sides who are currently above them in the postseason battle (Charlotte FC, the Columbus Crew and Philadelphia Union).
Beginning on Wednesday, they will have the opportunity to make some changes to their roster when the secondary transfer window opens, with Cushing strongly hinting in the past that they will be adding some new faces to the squad when that moment arrives.
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New York are not the only MLS side with a thirst for ties lately, as Charlotte enter this contest with a single point in three successive domestic affairs.
In their previous outing, they failed to make their chances count, as the Crown were shut out on home soil for the first time since March 11.
Charlotte are currently on a three-match winless run away from home in this competition, with Christian Lattanzio's men failing to hang onto a trio of advantages as the visiting team this year, squandering a 2-0 lead to draw the New York Red Bulls the last time out (2-2), while falling at Real Salt Lake (3-1) and St Louis City (3-1) earlier in the campaign.
They have only been shut out in two road contests all year, while the Crown have netted multiple times in half of their domestic away fixtures (5/10) in 2023.
Jumping out to an early lead and scoring late has been their story when facing NYCFC, scoring the opener in all three meetings against them before the 10-minute mark, while two of their winning goals versus the Pigeons have occurred beyond the 70th minute, including earlier this season when an own-goal by Richy Ledezma gave them a 3-2 victory.
Team News
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NYCFC will be missing Santiago Rodriguez for this midweek clash due to a yellow card suspension, James Sands is still with the US national team at the Gold Cup and Thiago Martins sat out of their previous encounter because of a knee injury.
A brilliant volley just beyond the half-hour mark on Saturday from Matias Pellegrini enabled the Pigeons to bump their recent slump, his first as a member of New York City, while Luis Barraza replaced Matt Freese between the sticks, making three stops for his fourth clean sheet of the regular season.
Rodriguez and Gabriel Pereira were on the mark when they faced the Crown earlier this year, with Andres Jasson making his last start for NYCFC on that occasion.
Adilson Malanda will be questionable for Charlotte on Wednesday because of a left lower leg issue, Hamady Diop is dealing with a lower abdominal injury, while Scott Arfield will be eligible for selection when the secondary transfer window officially opens on Wednesday having recently signed from Scottish Premiership side Rangers.
Two of the four goals scored by Enzo Copetti in the 2023 MLS campaign came in their previous encounter versus the Boys in Blue, while Karol Swiderski, Brandt Bronico and Christian Fuchs found the back of the net in their only previous road fixture against them last year, which they won 3-1 at Red Bull Arena.
Their last goals scored in the 2023 MLS campaign came courtesy of Ben Bender, who had a brace in a 2-2 draw versus the New York Red Bulls, while Justin Meram leads them with six assists in the regular season, including one the last time they faced the Pigeons.
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Freese; Gray, Chanot, Haak; Ilenic, Morales, Parks, Cufre; Pellegrini, Pereira; Magno
Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:
Kahlina; Tuiloma, Sobocinski, Jones, Lindsey; Swiderski, Westwood, Bender; Vargas, Copetti, Meram
We say: New York City FC 2-1 Charlotte FC
Sometimes all it takes is one moment of brilliance for your fortunes to turn around, and that might be the case for NYCFC, who have been close to winning numerous times this season and finally got over the line last weekend thanks to a breathtaking goal from Pellegrini.
On the other side, Charlotte do not have a lot of momentum heading into this encounter, and despite their previous track record against New York, we expect their 11-day hiatus from their last match to this one could be more of a hindrance than anything.
How to watch
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Joel Lefevre
