Minnesota United will pay a first-ever visit to Citi Field on Sunday as they resume their MLS campaign by facing New York City FC.
Both teams are on the outside of the playoff picture in their respective conferences, with the Pigeons four points behind that postseason line in the East and the Loons trailing that final spot in the West by a single point.
Match preview
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With 10 games remaining, four teams to catch and four points to make up, it is getting close to must-win time for Nick Cushing and his NYCFC squad.
While the regular season was on pause for the Leagues Cup, the New York front office was busy on the transfer market, bringing in numerous attacking pieces and a familiar playmaker for the stretch run.
A lack of connectivity between the midfielders and strikers has been evident with this team throughout the campaign, with the Boys in Blue scoring the third-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference (25).
NYCFC have made the postseason in each of their previous seven MLS campaigns but have only picked up 26 points after 24 regular season encounters this year, one fewer than they had at this stage of their inaugural season in 2015 when New York missed the MLS Cup playoffs for the first and only time to date.
The Pigeons are winless in their last three matches played at Citi Field and have only claimed three out of a possible 15 points from their previous five regular season home contests played in Queens or Yankee Stadium.
They have conceded the opening goal in two of their last three MLS affairs and have lost three consecutive matches in all competitions when going behind 1-0, losing by that exact score on two occasions in the Leagues Cup.
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A run of four straight playoff appearances is in danger of ending for Adrian Heath and Minnesota United, who have earned a point in three of their last four league fixtures.
At the Leagues Cup, the Loons attack came to life, scoring multiple goals in their first four fixtures, though defensively, they fell apart at the quarter-final stage last Friday, losing 5-0 to Nashville SC.
That ended a three-match unbeaten run away from home for Minnesota in all competitions, though the Loons have not lost an MLS road fixture since a 4-0 defeat at CF Montreal in June.
Throughout the Leagues Cup, the Loons were not as sound defensively as we are used to seeing in MLS, conceding 13 goals in five matches, nearly half as many as Minnesota have allowed on the current domestic campaign (30).
In 2023, the Loons have lost their only two regular-season away fixtures versus Eastern Conference opponents and are winless against the East in MLS play this year.
In their only previous regular-season encounter at New York City FC, Minnesota squandered an early lead, allowing three unanswered goals in a 3-1 defeat at Yankee Stadium.
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Team News
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After coming on as a substitute in their last two MLS games, Thiago Martins started in every Leagues Cup encounter for NYCFC following his knee surgery, while new signings Monsef Bakrar and Julian Fernandez will be pushing to make their first Major League Soccer appearances this weekend.
New York brought back a familiar face to the team last Tuesday, signing Maxi Moralez to a contract until 2024 with the Argentine leading NYCFC in assists in 2019 (21) and their title-winning season two years later (13) and he, along with Andres Perea, currently on loan from the Philadelphia Union, are still looking to make their first MLS appearances with the Pigeons this season.
Matt Freese started the last two Leagues Cup games for the Boys in Blue, conceding only one goal, though Luis Barraza has been between the sticks over their past four domestic affairs.
Robin Lod and Ryen Jiba could both be out for Minnesota this weekend because of knee injuries, while Hassani Dotson and DJ Taylor will be eligible to feature despite each being red-carded at the Leagues Cup.
Bongokuhle Hlongwane had seven goals at that tournament, one more than the South African has scored in MLS action this season, as he leads the Loons in that department domestically, while he currently sits second in Leagues Cup scoring behind Lionel Messi (nine).
Emanuel Reynoso had the last Loons goal in the regular season when they drew the reigning MLS Cup champions Los Angeles FC (1-1), while Teemu Pukki scored his first for Minnesota in their previous road fixture in this competition as he, Hlongwane and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi netted in a 3-0 win over the Houston Dynamo.
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Barraza; Gray, Chanot, Martins; Ilenic, Sands, Parks, Cufre; Moralez, Fernandez; Bakrar
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
St. Clair; Taylor, Dibassy, Boxall, Valentin; Trapp, Arriaga; Rosales, Reynoso, Hlongwane; Pukki
We say: New York City FC 2-1 Minnesota United
The Pigeons have been underwhelming through much of the 2023 campaign but made some good signings during the secondary transfer window, which should enable them to be more clinical in the attacking third.
Meanwhile, Minnesota have been a lot more potent in front of goal lately but not nearly as sharp on the back end, and we expect them to give up as many chances as they create on Sunday.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
