New York City FC Quick Facts:
Regular Season Record: 7-12-7
Points: 28
Goal Differential: -7
Eastern Conference Rank: 7th
Total Shots: 332 (5th in MLS)
Last Five Matches: 1-3-1
Home Record: 4-5-4
Familiar face, different place.
That’s the storyline for Columbus Crew SC this weekend as the club prepares for its matchup with New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In what will be the second bout in 10 days between the two clubs, both come into the match at level terms after drawing 2-2 at MAPFRE Stadium in their first-ever meeting on August 19.
Playing at NYCFC’s home ground can be an adjustment for visiting teams not used to the comparatively small pitch at Yankee Stadium. Measuring 110 yards long by 70 yards wide, it is the smallest field in all of Major League Soccer and the smallest allowed by FIFA’s international guidelines.
“We’re a team that loves to get the ball wide,” Crew SC midfielder Ethan Finlay says. “We have width, we have wide players and that’s where some of our strengths are. Going to New York, it’s a tighter field. It’s exactly what [NYCFC] want[s] it to be.”
Saturday’s match will be a clash of styles as Crew SC goes toe-to-toe with an NYCFC team that prefers compact organization. With the personnel NYCFC has in midfield and the front line, maintaining possession with short passes has been its preferred style of play, looking to build up scoring chances through the middle of the pitch with less reliance on the long-ball.
NYCFC’s home record is 4-5-4 – hardly a testament to any significant home-field advantage – but the team’s offensive production at home is amongst the best in the League, ranking fourth in home goals scored with 25, coming off 149 total shots.
David Villa remains as the club’s top scorer with 15, while Kwadwo Poku leads the teams in assists with seven. With midfielder Frank Lampard out due to injury during NYCFC’s first match against Crew SC, Poku made the start en route to a solid performance, netting two goals against the Black & Gold.
Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter expects Lampard to make his return to NYCFC’s starting lineup come Saturday.
“I expect him to come back into the fold,” Berhalter says. “If he plays, we’ve got to watch out because he’s a good player – scores a lot of goals, very active – and it’s going to be tough. But we’re looking forward to the game.”
Crew SC will look forward to breaking down NYCFC’s defense, which has shown to be porous at times. The expansion side has conceded the second-most goals in MLS this year with 44, with 24 of them coming at home. At the same time, NYCFC’s Josh Saunders has stood well in the last line of defense. as The veteran goalkeeper leads the League in saves with 89, sporting a save percentage of 67.18 while facing the most shots on target (131) of any MLS goalkeeper.
Most recently, the LA Galaxy showed how to expose NYCFC’s defense, defeating New York 5-1. NYCFC will certainly look to rebound from that loss on Saturday, if it wants to keep its hopes for a playoff spot alive. The club currently ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference, level in points with the Montreal Impact (28) who occupy the final playoff spot put have four games in hand.
Kickoff at Yankee Stadium is set for 4 p.m. ET. Catch the action on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, CD 102.5 or La Mega 103.1.
