Riding high on a five game winning streak FC Cincinnati enters their first of seven matches in the month of May with the hope of avenging their 2024 playoff knockout to New York City FC.
NEW YORK CITY FC
Kevin Denkey jumping over a sliding keeper. Photo Courtesy Jon Goldsberry
Following their 2024 season, NYCFC decided that they needed to shake up the roster. The first major change was the dismissal of their manager Nick Cushing following their defeat to cross town rivals the New York Red Bulls in the second round of the playoffs. They then sent midfielder James Sands on loan to Bundesliga club FC Pauli before selling attacking star Santi Rodriguez to Botafogo in Brazil for upwards of $17M.
Following these departures, the front office has been slow to reinvest in the squad. They took nearly two months to hire a new manager in Pascal Jansen. Fans then had to wait until the last day of the Primary Transfer Window to see the club’s next major move: signing Australian Midfielder Aiden O’Neill who is projected to suit up as a starter once he arrives in the US.
While fans of the Pigeons may be frustrated with the club’s lackadaisical approach to team building, the front office has gone on record stating that their focus is building for long term success, and being ready for their new stadium, which is set to welcome fans in 2027. This strategy makes sense looking at the history of their new manager. Pascal Jansen, coming from Hungarian giants Ferencvaros, is highly regarded for his track record of developing young players at his previous stops in Jong PSV and AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.
The front office is hopeful that Jansen can have continued success as he looks to develop the third youngest squad in MLS with an average age of only 26 years old. However, he is not starting from scratch by any means. In 2024, 23-year-old right back Tayvon Gray led all MLS defenders in assists. This season, 26-year-old Alonso Martinez is near the top of the golden boot race, currently tied for second place. Additionally, 26-year-old Hannes Wolf, has made quite a splash since arriving in MLS, and is arguably the most creative winger for the New York squad.
FC CINCINNATI
Brian Anunga turning against Sporting Kansas City. Photo courtesy Brian Mac
Riding a five game win streak, FC Cincinnati enters Citi Park finally equipped with a fully healthy roster. Early training reports by Queen City Press’ Laurel Pfahler noted that both Forward Yuya Kubo and Defender Teenage Hadebe had returned to the pitch for practice. This will be the first time this season that the whole squad will take the pitch together in the regular season. However, expectations are that there will still be a slow integration period for these players and that it would be unlikely for either Kubo or Hadebe to start on Sunday.
Although Head Coach Pat Noonan is happy to have his full squad available, he is more concerned about getting the team ready to play in the smaller dimensions of Citi Field, stating, “We’ve trained with their dimensions all week. Where we talk about it a lot is set pieces, the delivery of how quickly it arrives in front of goal. How we could use it to our advantage, but then just how pressure arrives. Everything happens a little bit faster, so your speed of thought, your touch, all of these things have to be a little bit sharper.”
Though FCC does not boast a winning record in the Big Apple, several key players have had memorable highlights in New York. In Yankee Stadium during the 2015 season, Matt Miazga showed off an infamous baseball celebration against the New York Red Bulls. Even more recently, FCC star Midfielder Evander de Silva Ferreira broke NYCFC hearts scoring a last minute winner last season while playing for the Portland Timbers.
With a 1-6-1 record in games at NYCFC, FC Cincinnati will be aiming to reverse the trend and show supporters of both clubs that a Queen rules more than a borough.
When: Sunday May 4 @ 3:00 PM
Where: Citi Field, New York City, NY
Where to Watch: MLS Season Pass on AppleTV+
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