New York City FC host Chicago Fire FC on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00PM ET.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford.
On Fire
May has been a good month for Gregg Berhalter and the Chicago Fire. Five games, across two competitions, have delivered four wins and one draw for the Fire. That run has helped them advance to the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
In MLS, a recent upturn in form has helped the Fire climb to ninth in the Eastern Conference. That stretch included an impressive 4-1 road win against Charlotte FC this past weekend—heavily inspired by a brace and assist from Brian Gutiérrez.
The talented young midfielder ranks second in goals for the Fire, behind Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers. City will need to be at their best this weekend when they host the Fire if they are to extinguish that strong run and keep their own hot streak alive.
Chaos
Former U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter has remained relatively consistent in his formation choices with Chicago.
The former Crystal Palace defender has preferred a 4-3-3 formation and has previously spoken about his desire to “disorganize the opponents with the ball.”
What this means, in practical terms, is creating numerical overloads in key areas of the field. It could be a central midfielder joining a winger and fullback to create a 3v2 out wide, for example.
This forces the opponent to make a decision while allowing the team to exploit space. Pascal Jansen and his staff will be well-versed in Berhalter's tactics, and it should make for an intriguing tactical matchup come Sunday afternoon.
Consistency
New York City FC enter Sunday’s game with three wins, a draw, and a defeat in their last five MLS outings.
At home, they’ve recorded three wins and two defeats in their last five games. Although that places them above the playoff line, the team’s ambitions are to contend at the top of the Eastern Conference. Sunday’s match gives City a chance to record their second three-game unbeaten run of the campaign.
If they can reach that goal, they can begin to think about surpassing it, with a positive run of form being a cornerstone to climbing the table.
