Sitting in 13th place in the Major League Soccer Standings and hoping to make a climb into the 2023 Playoff Picture the guys on the New York City FC (5-9-11) are going to have to hopefully within the next few days figure out how to implement their roster and secure wins, so that they can get themselves into one of those coveted playoff spots.
It is going to be an interesting challenge for Head Coach Nick Cushing, and by the way not making the path to playoffs any easier is the fact that on Saturday, August 26 the new look NYCFC squad is going to go up against the best team in MLS in FC Cincinnati.
There are a ton of emotions for the guys to sort through after the latest loss to Minnesota and having to move forward from that moment and focus on the task at hand.
When it comes time for the history between NYCFC and FC Cincinnati, these two franchises have played each other 10 times, and in those matches the Boys in Blue holding a 6W-2L-2D record.
It is going to be an interesting task as in the three matches that NYCFC played in TQL Stadium the franchise holds a 1W-1L-1D record.
There are nine games remaining for the Boys in Blue to make a push for the playoffs and are going to hope to gain some victories against conference opponents in order to gain that coveted spot.
In terms of players to watch for, fans have been impressed with some of the performances on the field including the play of Keaton Parks, as he has played and started in 25 games. Thus far Parks is top five in accurate pass percentage on the team with 88.1%
Another having an impressive performance is Santiago Rodriguez, as he appeared in 23 games so far. Thus far Santi is second on the team in shots on target and shown great passing ability in helping out with four goals during the course of the year.
Making some big-time adjustments and already filling one of the leadership spots on the squad defender Birk Risa has been involved in the team’s huddle trying to bond with his teammates and show the type of quality player along with teammate that he is.
Fans are encouraged to check out the video below to see the thoughts from Risa and Coach Cushing from the team’s press conference held on 8/24/23…Video is compliments of New York City FC:
In addition, fans have been exited to see the return of Maxi Moralez, as his leadership and time spent playing in the big-time moment is something that is going to be helpful for the team as they go forward.
The hope is and it is a though that Coach Cushing has been saying to the members of the media, is that the team can start to change their fortunes around with the combination of talent and work that the Boys in Blue have been putting in as of late.
The first step though is to see how this team fares against one of MLS’ best in FC Cincinnati and all that action takes place on Saturday, August 26 with the start time of the match scheduled for 7:39 p.m.
For more information on New York City FC fans are encouraged to check out the link seen below: