After opening the season with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Inter Miami, NYCFC will be back in action Saturday (10:30 PM EST), taking on 2022 MLS Cup Champions LAFC.
The men in blue had the opportunity to see out a win last Saturday after Miami defender Tomas Aviles was sent off in the 23rd minute. However, despite the man advantage for most of the game, the Pigeons failed to earn all three points, conceding a heartbreaking late equalizer set up by none other than Lionel Messi.
Though the final score left NYCFC frustrated, head coach Pascal Jansen is confident his team will learn from their mistakes and grow as a result.
“Of course, when you have a little more time to digest it and review [the match in Miami], certain things come to mind,” Jansen told reporters. “Overall, I think we did okay for the first match. But, there’s also work to be done.”
In the Miami match, City’s offensive efforts were spearheaded by forward Alonso Martinez. The Costa Rican not only won the foul that resulted in Miami’s red card but also scored the team’s second goal, initially giving them the lead. On the defensive side, despite the late equalizer, goalkeeper Matt Freese kept the team in the game with several key saves.
The team’s attack and defense will need to put on a similar performance when they take on their next opponent, LAFC.
Led by manager Steve Cherundolo, LAFC has started 2025 strong, coming off two straight wins and punching their ticket to the Round of 16 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
With a scintillating attack led by 2023 Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga, supported by a cerebral midfield featuring MLS Cup winner Marco Delgado and US international Timothy Tillman, the Black and Gold will be a tough test.
Challenges aside, Jansen says that the team’s recently implemented ‘bulletproof mindset’ will help the squad in another difficult environment away from home.
“The approach, from a mental aspect, doesn’t change. I’ve mentioned a few times already that what I’m focusing on is trying to get a ‘bullet-proof mindset’ and a ‘bulletproof approach’ in each and every game that we go into,” Jansen said.
“Hopefully, the [players] have learned from [the game against Miami] and take that with them into [the match against Los Angeles.]”
Under Jansen, NYCFC plays a more aggressive and direct style of soccer. When they step on the field to play LAFC, a team that likes to play quickly, Jansen’s men need to find the perfect balance between attack and defense to prevent being exploited.
“They are a great team. They have a strong offense, especially with [their front three attackers Denis Bouanga, Jeremy Ebobisse, and David Martinez],” midfielder Hannes Wolf stated when asked about the difficulties of playing LAFC.
“Sometimes you need to be careful when you attack because they cheat a little bit, and they wait [for you to give up space, then hit you on the counterattack.] I think it’s important to find the balance of when we attack, that we also have a good [defense] that we don’t concede counterattacks.”
Given LAFC’s quick front three, the Pigeons will have to be mindful of not giving away attacking moments in transition, something the team struggled to do against Miami.
“[The end of the game] was one of the few times that we stretched ourselves when it was unnecessary,” Jansen said about the team’s lack of defensive discipline. “It was a big lesson learned, and hopefully, we’ll take that with us into the next game and try to avoid it.”
Pressing triggers, communication, and a strong midfield will be crucial if City wants to get a result this Saturday. Fortunately for NYCFC, Jansen did confirm that defenders Tayvon Gray and Thiago Martins have recovered from injury and will be back in the squad this weekend for extra support.
As the Pigeons look for their first win of the season, fans will be eager to see how Jansen’s soccer philosophy will look against a top team like LAFC. Saturday’s match at BMO Stadium will be another test of NYCFC’s squad depth and mentality.
