After stunning Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia Union 1-0 at Subaru Park, New York City FC will face Inter Miami CF in the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night at Chase Stadium.
It is the first time NYCFC has reached the Eastern Conference Finals since 2022, and just the third time overall in club history.
Head coach Pascal Jansen and Kevin O'Toole spoke to the media earlier this week to preview the highly anticipated playoff match.
NYCFC are underdogs once again
Fifth-seeded New York City will once again be the underdogs, as Miami finished third in the Eastern Conference and will have home-field advantage. Miami have won four straight games in Ft Lauderdale, scoring 15 goals and conceding two goals during that stretch.
But NYCFC, the lowest-seeded team to advance from Round One, are now the best road team in the league. The team went 5W-1D-1L in road games to finish the season, then won all three away games in the MLS Cup Playoffs by beating Charlotte FC twice and Philadelphia once — defeating the two teams with the best home records in league.
Jansen pointed to the bulletproof mindset he has implemented as a key for New York City on Saturday. “It’s going to be a very tough game away from home again against one of the best teams in the league,” he said. “We do have to make sure that mentality is there again to have a good chance of reaching the other final.”
O'Toole also mentioned the bulletproof mindset being a factor for New York City and revealed that the team likes playing in tough road environments.
"We've kind of relished playing in the away environments this year," he said. "Really enjoyed those hostile environments and silencing crowds. I think the team has developed that identity, and it's something that we look forward to and are excited about those challenges each time."
Andrew Leigh
How NYCFC can stop Messi
Lionel Messi is in fantastic form, scoring 13 goals and 10 assists in his last 10 games. He’s fresh off a one-goal, three-assist performance in the 4-0 win over FC Cincinnati.
It may seem impossible to defend Messi, but NYCFC kept him quiet in their first two meetings behind strong performances from O’Toole, James Sands, Thiago Martins, and Justin Haak.
“It’s a full-team effort,” O’Toole said on defending Messi. “Intensity in the midfield and covering ground and making sure he doesn't have so much time to face forward and look to play balls in behind or run at us. It’s just a collective effort every time, just closing the areas that he pops up in and doing the best we can in limiting him because he’s gonna have his moments throughout games, that’s inevitable.”
