Matchday 27: New York City vs DC United in The Bronx

It’s Matchday 27, and New York City FC are back in The Bronx to host Luis Barraza and 10 other DC United players at Yankee Stadium. The former NYCFC goalkeeper had the game of his life when these two teams faced each other at Audi Field in May — Barraza made five saves, keeping a clean sheet against a New York City that ended the game with an xG of 2.20.

The two sides have followed different trajectories since then. New York City are coming off their most convincing win of the season, a 1-0 tactical masterclass from head coach Pascal Jansen that saw them shut out conference-leading FC Cincinnati and close down MVP candidate Evander. NYCFC’s four wins and one draw in the last five games played give them the second-best form in Major League Soccer.

New York City FC x Adidas Soft Lux collection drops Saturday

The capsule collection will only be available on August 30 in The Bronx.

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On the other side, DC United’s two draws and three losses make them the second-worst team in the league in the last five played. DCU became the first team to be eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs last weekend. The team earned that distinction despite a surprising 1-1 home draw with an Inter Miami CF that was missing Lionel Messi – this is the sixth consecutive year that DC United failed to make it to the postseason.

DC have scored the fewest goals (24) in the league, while allowing the most (53) in the Eastern Conference, but they could still pose a challenge for a New York City that struggles against poor teams. NYCFC’s near-perfect record against the Top 5 in the East might make them the conference’s giant-killers, but their mediocre showing against Bottom 5 teams – CF Montréal, Atlanta United FC, New England Revolution, and yes, DC United – has been a cause for concern.

New York City vs Bottom 5 Teams

Which New York City will show up tonight? Will it be the one that outplayed Nashville SC and Cincinnati to make a case to be the pundit’s newest dark horse contender for MLS Cup? (See below.) Or the one that lost to CF Montréal twice this season, and was shut out at home 3-0 by 12th-place Houston Dynamo?

NYCFC are in the driver’s seat. It’s up to them to dictate how tonight’s match will unfold.

New York City FC: Dark horse MLS Cup contender?

New York City vs DC United H2H

The historic head-to-head between these two teams is strongly in New York City’s favor. NYCFC’s 12 wins over DC are the third-most against any team, behind only the 13 against CF Montréal and Toronto FC, and their 43 goals scored are also the third-most, behind only the 49 against Orlando City and Toronto.

But recent games between the two clubs have been more even, with NYCFC compiling a record of 2W-2D-1L in the last five played, with six goals scored and five goals allowed.

And then there was the latest matchup, discussed at the top of this post. Barraza played his mind out in that game, almost single-handedly denying NYCFC the win.

Pascal Jansen named Coach of the Matchday

It’s the first for the New York City FC head coach. Aiden O’Neill and Alonso Martínez were also named to the Team of the Matchday.

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New York City Scouting Report

• Player Availability: Keaton Parks (blood flow issues), Malachi Jones (leg surgery), and Nico Cavallo (leg) remain out.
• Jansen confirmed that Andrés Perea had recovered from the injury that sent him off early against FC Cincinnati on Matchday 26.
• Will Alonso Martínez extend his scoring streak? The 26-year-old striker has goals in three consecutive games — including a hat trick on the road against FC Dallas. He now has 14 league goals this season, and is #3 on the NYCFC all-time scoring leaderboard.
• Will Nico Fernández start to make his mark on this team? This will be his fourth league game since joining NYCFC on July 11.
• Will New York City finally climb the table? The team have been stuck in 8th Place in the Eastern Conference since July 19, despite taking 10 points by winning three and drawing one.
• One factor that night might scramble the table: It’s an abbreviated matchweek after an all-MLS Leagues Cup semifinal on Wednesday, with just 11 games scheduled. Among the conference leaders, Orlando City and Inter Miami aren’t playing this weekend; Charlotte FC, FC Cincinnati, and Philadelphia are.
• Going to the game? Then you can shop the New York City FC x adidas Soft Lux collaboration. According to the club, the capsule collection will only be available at Yankee Stadium today.

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DC United Scouting Report

• Player Availability: Midfielder Caden Clark (head), striker Kristian Fletcher (knee), and winger Randall Leal (leg), and center back Lukas MacNaughton (thigh) are out. Winger Peglow (knee) is questionable.
• All eyes will be on Barraza in his return to Yankee Stadium. He hasn’t had the strongest season with this underperforming DC United, but if we learned anything from the game between these two clubs last May, the goalkeeper can find an extra gear when facing his former team.
•  Curious to learn more? Donald Wine II of The District Press gives us detailed intel in “Oppo Research: 5 Things about DC United.”

Oppo Research: 5 Things about DC United

DC United were the first MLS team to be eliminated from the 2025 postseason, but they just drew Eastern Conference powerhouse Inter Miami last week. Confused? Read on to learn more.

Hudson River BlueMatthew Mangam