New York City FC head back on the road on Saturday night, traveling to face the New England Revolution in a 7:30PM ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford…
Spring-board?
The Boys in Blue made a welcome return to winning ways in Saturday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union at Citi Field.
Eager to snap a three-game winless run, Pascal Jansen’s side were hungry to set things straight in the year’s first game in Queens.
Stepping out on a wet and windy night in the Five Boroughs, the squad readied themselves for a ‘dog fight’, as Coach Jansen explained in his post-match press conference. Despite late Philly pressure, the team battled hard, earning a deserved triumph with a solid team performance, capped off by Alonso Martínez’s fifth goal of the season.
Speaking ahead of the game, Brooklyn-born Justin Haak highlighted the opportunity to build a strong run of momentum over the coming months, pinpointing a win against the Union as a potential launching pad.
New York have claimed maximum points in three of their four home fixtures this season, but are yet to emerge victorious away from the Big Apple. If Saturday’s success is to serve as a springboard, the key to building a strong run will be to take that home form on the road…
Revved Up
It may only be April, but this weekend’s fixture marks the second meeting between New York and New England already in 2025.
The Boys in Blue entertained the Revolution in March, grinding out a 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium on the 10th anniversary of City’s very first home MLS game, and the maiden match-up between the two sides. Jansen’s men had to fight back from a goal down to claim victory, as Julián Fernández’s leveler and a spectacular Martínez scissorkick turned the game on its head, after an own-goal had broken the deadlock.
Plenty has changed since that encounter in the Bronx a little more than a month ago – crucially, New England have enjoyed an upturn in fortunes: victorious in two of their last three matches, thanks to a last-gasp triumph over the Red Bulls, and an impressive 1-0 win at Atlanta.
With both sides heading into this weekend’s clash on the back of narrow clean sheet victories, this duel could prove an equally tightly-contested affair - and New York will need to be composed and clinical. Revolution shot-stopper Aljaž Ivačič earned plenty of plaudits (including a spot in the MLS Team of the Matchday) for Saturday’s notable performance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, producing five key stops to thwart the Atlanta attack.
Jansen’s side will also look to control more of the ball in this meeting. Though the City Boys carved more chances than the Revs at Yankee Stadium (11-6), Caleb Porter’s men shaded the possession stats (52.6%).
While there will certainly be learnings to take from the previous game, City will be wary of a resurgent Revs with a point to prove in front of their own fans, after their difficult start to the campaign.
All Set
Beware the set-piece.
New England may have found the net in three of their last four games, after drawing blanks in their opening three matches - but the Revolution are yet to score from open play in 2025.
Thiago Martins’ unfortunate own-goal in March’s visit to New York marked the Revs’ first goal of the season, and although Porter’s side have bagged three more goals since, all have come via dead-ball situations…
…and all courtesy of their talismanic captain, Carles Gil.
The former Aston Villa and Valencia man won and converted the pivotal penalty in Atlanta, having also netted a stunning free-kick and injury-time spot-kick against the Red Bulls to clinch his side’s first win of the year.
Crafting 115 career goal contributions, playmaker Gil has long stood as the Revolution’s star man, having now scored 42 regular season goals for the Foxborough outfit. Topping his side’s shot rankings for this term (19) - recording five efforts alone in the win in Georgia - he poses the Revs’ most dangerous attacking threat, especially from set-piece play.
However, with New England offensive duo Leo Campana and Tomás Chancalay now back in contention after returning from injury at the weekend, City will need to be alert to all danger, staying sharp and disciplined across the board.
