Charlotte FC is looking for the Club’s first away win of the season this weekend at Yankee Stadium against NYCFC. After a thrilling home win over Toronto FC, the team followed up with a gut punch home loss to Minnesota United.
Now, all eyes turn toward the Big Apple in search of a bounce back performance.
Match: Charlotte FC vs New York City FC
When: Saturday, April 27
Where: Yankee Stadium
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
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Previous Matches:
Charlotte FC 0 – 3 Minnesota United (Major League Soccer | April 21)
New York City FC 2 – 0 DC United (Major League Soccer | April 20)
Looking for a Bounce Back
Charlotte FC dropped a tough result on Sunday night against Minnesota United. A costly 10-minute spell at the beginning of the second half saw the deficit go from 1-0 to 3-0 in a flash, a spell where Head Coach Dean Smith feels his team “lost their heads a little bit”.
Sometimes, tough losses will happen. “Goals change games” is a popular saying around world soccer, and Sunday night may have been a good example. Had CLTFC finished one of their chances during their early first half dominance, the entire flow of the match could have been flipped on its head.
However, they didn’t finish one of those, and the 3-0 result did happen when all was said and done.
Now, the team will be looking to prove that the loss – which snapped a 14-game unbeaten streak at Bank of America Stadium in all competitions – was just a blip rather than a trend. The mission for Smith, his staff, and the players is to believe they are capable of a better performance from the first minute to the 90th.
“I think we’ll be smarting [from the loss],” said Smith on Thursday. “And we’ll be wanting to prove that it’s not all doom and gloom.”
He continued later in the press conference: “My sense from the players is that they're hurting from last week. They were quite proud of their unbeaten run at Bank of America Stadium and there was disappointment with the result and the scoreline last week. So, I think first and foremost, we want to put that right.”
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The Opponent (and the Venue)
Charlotte FC has been exceptional against New York City FC, having never lost against them (including a 1-0 win in this season’s home opener). However, after playing NYCFC at Red Bull Arena in 2022 and Citi Field in 2023, they have never matched up at their traditional home field of Yankee Stadium.
The field is infamously narrow in the outfield of the baseball diamond. This is something the team prepared for throughout the week by narrowing their practice field at Atrium Health Performance Park.
Still, it is a consistent home field advantage and plays a key role in how NYCFC sets up tactically.
“It's going to be different there because it's a smaller pitch,” Smith said. “I think their pressing starting [point] will probably be higher because of the length of the pitch, as well, but they're a very good team at doing that [high-pressing]. So, we're going to be fully aware and pick our right times to go over the press or around the press.”
Caleb Adams dove into the NYCFC press on the small field and how CLTFC can manage that situation on the road in his weekly Ingredients of the Match.
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Outside of the Yankee Stadium narrative, though, NYCFC have a gifted and talented roster led by number 10 Santiago Rodriguez. The attacking midfielder has four goals on the season so far and shoulders much of the creative burden for the team.
After a tough start to the season that featured three consecutive losses, the Pigeons have turned things around with an undefeated last four matches (two draws, two wins).
The Season So Far
CLTFC won their first match of the season over NYCFC with a gritty 1-0 win at home. They then faced three consecutive games on the road, securing a 1-1 draw in Vancouver before tight losses to Toronto (1-0) and Nashville (2-1).
Upon finally returning to Bank of America Stadium, the team impressively downed the defending MLS Cup Champions, the Columbus Crew, by a 2-0 score. Then, they secured another impressive result, drawing the defending Supporter’s Shield Champions, FC Cincinnati, in a 1-1 match.
After a disappointing road loss in New England, CLTFC won a thrilling back-and-forth match against Toronto at home courtesy of a late Patrick Agyemang match-winner but then suffered another disappointing result with a home loss to Minnesota.
Now, with an away trip to NYCFC on deck, the team will be looking for the first away win of the season to jumpstart a run up the table.
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