FC Dallas travels to Queens to take on New York City FC at Citi Field on Saturday evening.
This is the lone regular season matchup between the two squads in 2023, and FC Dallas is looking for their first win against NYCFC since 2015. It will also mark the first visit for FC Dallas to Citi Field, the secondary home of the Cityzens this season (normally, their games are at Yankee Stadium).
Key Player: Santiago Rodriguez
The Uruguayan returned to New York this season and has become the main #10 for them in the attack now that Maxi Morales has moved on from the team. So far in 2023, he has one goal and one assist for the Cityzens.
Key Matchup: Talles Magno vs Jose Martinez
While it could be possible that we are given the Nkosi Tafari/Sebastian Ibeagha duo on Saturday in the back, I think Estevez will go with at least one veteran in the center defense to slow down the NYCFC attack. Magno is currently tied for the NYCFC lead in goals with two this season, and slowing him down will keep their attack at bay.
Quick Notes:
Recent success against FCD - New York City is unbeaten in six straight games against FC Dallas (W2 D4) going back to 2016, including a 1-0 victory last July. Of the seven prior meetings between FC Dallas and NYCFC, it was the first where either team was held scoreless.
Stout at home in 2023 - New York City FC has collected 10 points from its first four home games this season (W3 D1).
Inside the box - Of the eight goals scored by City this season, only one has come from outside the penalty box (Gabriel Pereira’s goal vs Atlanta).
Availability Report:
Out: none
Questionable: none
Potential Lineup:
Similar to Nico Estevez, Nick Cushings also uses a 4-3-3 formation a lot this season. The big question will be whether or not James Sands starts in the middle of the field after being away with the USMNT this week.
Luis Barraza; Mitja Ilenic, Thiago Martins, Maxime Chanot, Braian Cufre; Richard Ledezma, Santiago Rodriguez, Keaton Parks; Gabriel Pereira, Gabe Segal, Talles Magno.
For more on NYCFC ahead of this weekend’s game, check out our friends from the old network at Hudson River Blue. Click the link below to visit their site.
Keys To Three Points over NYCFC
Be smart with the passing - City will press a bit, and on a condensed field like Citi Field, it will be crucial to play smart out of the back and not give away cheap turnovers. FC Dallas loves to build a bit slow out of their defense, but there won’t be enough time on the ball this week to do this. They’ll need to play the passing lanes wisely, or else the Cityzens will pounce on their mistakes.
Quick counters for the win - This is going to be a game in that FC Dallas can be aggressive when they pick their right moments. There is still going to be speed up front for FC Dallas, and if we can catch NYC on a counter-attack, similar to how Jesus Ferreira scored last night for the USMNT, we might be able to see FCD leave Queens with some points.
Subs need to bring energy - We’ve seen a few times already how subs can change a game for FC Dallas. This needs to be the case this weekend in Queens. Estevez mentioned on Wednesday that he expects a fast-paced game against NYCFC, and having the right guys come off the bench to provide a spark will go a long way in hopefully earning more points away from home.
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