New York City FC Match Preview and Prediction: New England Revolution
Coming off back-to-back victories, New York City FC looks poised to extend their winning streak and keep pace in the Eastern Conference standings.
Where: Yankee Stadium – The Bronx, New York
When: Sunday, 8/20 at 6:00 pm ET
How to Watch: YES Network, MLS Live
Match Overview:
The New England Revolution will come into Yankee Stadium Sunday night looking to kickstart their late season playoff push, but the odds are against them. The Revs sport the league’s worst away record at 0-8-3 and own a minus-16 goal differential in their 11 away matches this season. Despite their struggles on the road and table position, the Revs only sit six points out of playoff spot and could have enough motivation to escape the Bronx with their first road win of the season.
New York City FC, on the other hand, is coming off convincing back-to-back victories and have arguably the best player in MLS, David Villa, at his season peak. The Spanish international has been unstoppable the past few weeks, scoring six goals in his past five matches. On top of having an in-form David Villa, NYCFC is almost unstoppable at home, boasting an 8-1-3 record this season and can easily get at least a share of the points up for grabs Sunday afternoon.
Three Keys to the Match:
- Lock Down the Midfield: NYCFC will have to put extra emphasis on their defense in the middle of the field. The Boys in Blue will be without midfield enforcer Alexander Ring against the Revs. Replacing Ring’s defensive presence is a tall order, but good positioning and keeping in formation in the midfield will mask any defensive shortcomings.
- Feed David Villa: It’s almost a no-brainer to give your best player as many touches as you can. David Villa has been in prime scoring form the past two matches and will has a favorable matchup against New England’s shaky defensive line. The Spanish international is also has great vision and will use the double-teams he draws to set up teammates for shots on net.
- Erase Lee Nguyen from the Game: Attacking midfielder Lee Nguyen is without a doubt the Revolution’s most dangerous player. The United States international leads New England in both goals and assists this season. Erasing Nguyen from the game will limit New England on the attack and give NYCFC a significant advantage defensively.
Player to Watch: Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo had a terrible showing the last time he took the pitch against Toronto FC. Unfortunately, the Italian international is projected to start in Alexander Ring’s place Sunday night due to Ring’s yellow-card accumulation suspension
While he’s a set-piece expert with world-class vision, there’s no way Pirlo is capable of emulating the defensive work rate that Ring displays on a regular basis. Pirlo will surely get his opportunities
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to make up for his poor defensive ability on set-pieces and long balls down the field, but he’ll need to put in an above-average effort on defense if NYCFC hopes to win.
Official Overview: Mark Geiger
Mark Geiger is the most respected official in MLS and is one of the best referees CONCACAF has to offer. The 2014 World Cup official has called a good amount of fouls in the eight games he’s refereed this season, but he tends to keep his cards in his pocket unless the situation obviously warrants the player to be booked.
There several fouls will be called on the day and the game may lack flow at times, but don’t expect any player to be in card trouble barring any egregious challenges.
Prediction: NYCFC 3 – Revolution 1
New England may have more to play for in this game, but their poor track record on the road combined with NYCFC’s dominance at home this season does not bode well for the away side.
David Villa will continue to add to his goal total and New York’s three-headed attack will be too much for New England’s shaky back line to handle. Once the final whistle blows, the Revs will leave Yankee Stadium with their soon-to-be league-leading ninth road loss.