New York City FC return to the Bronx on Thursday night aiming to build on a strong run of form at home—and Head Coach Pascal Jansen is confident his side is ready for the challenge.
City have taken 12 of the last 18 points available at home and will look to continue that momentum against Atlanta United, despite a handful of players away on international duty.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday afternoon, Pascal Jansen expressed that the game against Atlanta is another opportunity for the squad’s depth to shine.
“We have a roster where we believe we can replace these guys [missing through international duty],” he said.
“All the focus, once we finished Nashville, went into preparing the group that will play—building chemistry and cohesion with the players who will now have to start or come on as substitutes. Goalkeeper is obviously a big piece, with Tomás [Romero] in instead of Matt [Freese], and a few others [absent too].”
Matt Freese, who has been ever-present in goal this season, is among those unavailable after earning his first senior cap for the U.S. Men’s National Team against Türkiye. But for Jansen, the focus remains on readiness and belief in the collective.
“That doesn’t just apply to this game,” he added.
“That is the culture and the atmosphere we’ve created from day one. So it’s very competitive. And now there are a few pieces with the national team, so you know, you have to be ready—and we have the team in our head that will play from the start.”
Thursday’s game also provides an opportunity to respond. The reverse fixture in Georgia ended in dramatic fashion, with City surrendering a 3-1 lead and losing 4-3. While the result stung, Jansen believes the lessons from that day have helped the team grow.
“I think that was one of our games where we played pretty decently for an hour,” he reflected.
“But after the hour mark, we didn’t sense well enough what kind of state Atlanta was in. That was a big lesson going forward in the total process within our team.
“It’s part of our preparation going into this game—knowing that we played quite well for an hour, but not well enough to win. We’ve played a lot of games since then, but that experience is still in the back of our minds.”
One of the players stepping into the team is goalkeeper Tomás Romero, who is set to make his first MLS start for City on Thursday night. The 24-year-old is embracing the challenge and relishing the chance to perform on a big stage.
“It’s great,” Romero said of the pressure to perform. “The way I’ve always seen it, you feel the pressure before the game, but once it starts, you relax and things just start happening. You’re less focused on how you feel and more on what’s going on in the game.”
He later added, “It is a big moment to play at Yankee Stadium, for example. That’s just something that maybe if you’re not from this area, you wouldn’t understand. So that is a big moment for me, and I’m excited for it.”
