Keys to the Match: Big Finish
May 1, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release
New York City FC host Colorado Rapids on Sunday.
The Boys in Blue will host Colorado at Citi Field for a 4:00PM ET kickoff.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford...
Big Strong
New York City FC have made the most of this home stretch by claiming three wins and one draw.
That, along with the point picked up in Miami, has given the team 11 points from a possible 18 and put them above the playoff line. The team knows they will face challenging road games in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, it is vital they focus solely on Colorado this weekend.
Good home form is vital in MLS if you have playoff aspirations, and the chance to claim another victory this weekend is not an opportunity Nick Cushing will want to pass up.
This run of games in New York was always likely to be an important chapter in the Club's season, and now the team can write the perfect ending to that story.
Road Form
The Colorado Rapids arrive in New York with one defeat in their last five games on the road.
That loss came last time out against FC Cincinnati, but in the road game prior to that Colorado recorded an impressive 3-0 win against the San Jose Earthquakes.
As Joseph Lowry noted for mlssoccer.com, Colorado aren't built around one star player, but you can still expect Djordje Mihailovic to be an influence in attack.
The U.S. international was signed from Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar in the off-season and operates in a number ten role for Colorado. Tactically, he tends to drift out wide to finds pockets of space where he can influence the game, and while he may not always produce an assist, his fingerprints are typically on most of what Colorado do well in an attacking sense.
For example, against San Jose it was Mihalovic's clever pass out wide that helps start the move that ultimately becomes Colorado's second goal of the evening. The 25-year-old is also a danger from set pieces, meaning City will need to be switched on from corners and freekicks.
Making History
There is little shared history between Colorado and New York City FC, with the two teams having only met six times in MLS.
Three City wins and three draws have defined the brief history between the two sides, with the last meeting taking place in June 2022. City remain undefeated against Colorado, and they will be keen to maintain that fact after this weekend.
Arguably the most exciting of those three victories came in 2016 when a Frank Lampard hat-trick inspired City to a 5-1 victory. Stiven Mendoza and Tony Taylor scored the other goals for City that day, with Shkëlzen Gashi scoring Colorado's consolation goal.
That same goal-heavy theme may find its way to this weekend, with Colorado's last five games all seeing at least three goals scored. For that reason alone make sure you grab a ticket.
Major League Soccer Stories from May 1, 2024
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