It’s Matchday 16, and New York City FC are back at Yankee Soccer Stadium to face New England Revolution on Pride Day. Here’s your NYCFC vs New England game preview and Game Day Hub.
RELATED: Oppo Research: 5 things you should know about New England
Game Day Essentials
- Matchday 16: NYCFC vs New England Revolution
- Date and Time: Saturday, June 3, 3:30 pm ET
- Kickoff Time: 3:39 pm ET
- Venue: Yankee Soccer Stadium
- Bruce Arena Forecast: Cloudy and cool, more spring than summer 67˚F/19˚C
- Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
- Broadcast Team: Kevin Egan and Taylor Twellman
- Listen: English and Spanish broadcasts on NYCFC Radio
- Officiating Crew: Rosendo Mendoza (referee), Ryan Graves and Chris Elliott (assistant referees), Filip Dujic (fourth official), David Barrie (VAR), TJ Zablocki (assistant VAR)
NYCFC vs New England preview
Two wobbly teams meet for the second time this season: NYCFC earned just one miserable point from their last five MLS league games, while New England have just five points — three of which they grabbed with a win over a dysfunctional Toronto FC back on May 6. Neither side are crowning themselves in glory.
But New England sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and are coming off a dramatic last-minute draw against Atlanta United at the Benz thanks to the heroics of Carles Gil. For their part, New York City sit in 14th place, and are coming off a frustrating home loss to FC Cincinnati that was decided as much by the officiating as the players.
NYCFC vs New England H2H
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 31 | 34 | -3 |
New England lead the historic head-to-head between the clubs but recent games have been a dead heat. The two sides played to a 1-1 draw at Gillette Stadium in April. That gives NYCFC two wins, two draws, and one loss in their last five meetings — and one of those draws was the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinal that New York City won on penalties.
Both teams have eight goals over those five games.
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NYCFC
- Injury Report: Thiago Martins is out with a lower-body injury. Mitja Ilenič and Talles Magno return to the squad after missing Wednesday’s game.
- UPDATE: Tayvon Gray is ineligible to play while MLS investigates the allegation that he “used language that violates league policy during the NYCFC vs FC Cincinnati match on May 31.”
- Expect Tony Alfaro to get another start with Thiago Martins ruled out.
- The question we ask every week: Where will NYCFC find goals? They scored early against Philadelphia, but lost that game. They also scored in the first half against FC Cincinnati, but referee Armando Villarreal whistled it off on the slightest of pretexts. They found another goal in the second half of that game, but it was too little, too late. Add those two to NYCFC’s tally and the club have just three goals in their last five games in all competitions.
- Will Matt Freese get another start in goal? The keeper was run the Starting XI against Cincinnati, and he was better than the scoreline might lead you to believe. But Cushing has been keen on Luis Barraza for most of the season, and he could return to the lineup.
- Will youth carry the day? NYCFC have one of the youngest squads in MLS when you look not just at the age of the players, but the amount of playing time. Our pals the New Jersey Red Bulls have a younger squad, but they account for fewer minutes; Chicago Fire give the kids more playing time, but their squad is significantly older.
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New England
- Injury Report: Brandon Bye, Dylan Borrero, Henry Kessler, and Tommy McNamara are ruled out for this game.
- The Revs are gassed: This will be New England’s third game in eight days, and that includes a Wednesday flight back from Georgia after playing Atlanta United. Expect to see a heavily rotated side to account for the schedule and injuries.
- Will Gustavo Bou see playing time? The attacker was on the bench for Wednesday’s game but didn’t play. Not that New England are suffering for goals: They scored six in their last two games.
- A bigger question is defense. Djordje Petrovic isbe one of the best goalkeepers in MLS, but the depleted defense aren’t doing him any favors. The Revs might have scored six in their last two games, but they also gave up six goals — plus another five in their two previous MLS league matches. That’s an eye-popping 11 goals conceded in four games.
- Looking for some insider information on the Revs? Check out Oppo Research: 5 things you should know about New England.
