New York City Football Club begin their 2022 MLS Playoff journey against Inter Miami CF on Monday night.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford…
The Playoffs
There’s nothing quite like it.
The drama, the excitement; the pressure, the unpredictability: the playoffs.
The MLS post-season tournament is the most eagerly-anticipated period of the US Club soccer calendar – and it’s easy to see why.
As 14 teams go head-to-head across the country for the coveted MLS Cup in a series of thrilling, one-off matches, there is quite simply no margin for error – lose and you’re out!
Add the fascinating subplots of intense rivalries, grueling extra time, and the lottery of penalty shoot-outs and the appetite for excitement is sure to be satisfied.
Standing proudly as the reigning Champions following our unforgettable maiden 2021 success, New York will be regarded as one of the teams to beat and heading into the post-season in fine form, will be giving our absolute all to defend our crown.
City in the Citi
With Monday night’s fixture now set to be played at Citi Field, the MLS Cup Champions have the chance to ensure home advantage can play a real part in round one.
Our recent run of form has most certainly been inspired by the loyal City faithful – our Campeones Cup and Hudson River Derby triumphs proving particularly memorable – with Cushing and the players having spoken of the impact a vocal home crowd can have.
Every single person connected to the Club will be urged to play their part to help spur the team on, creating a fortress with an electric atmosphere to bring the energy and lift the team in difficult moments.
Vamos City!
Team News
With Tayvon Gray, Talles Magno and Alfredo Morales having been forced off in our Decision Day win against Atlanta United, all eyes will be on Nick Cushing’s press conference on Saturday to see whether the trio will be in playoff contention.
All three looked to be in some discomfort in Georgia but there was encouragement in the post-match interview, as the Head Coach declared he was not going to rule them out of action with the severity of their knocks still to be determined.
It was a frustrating blow for the Boys in Blue, who had enjoyed just returned to full strength. With a full team effort needed for the playoffs – an expansive armory of varied skillsets, experience and personalities – every single player will have to be ready to be called upon for every eventuality.
An Inter-esting Match-Up
The results of Decision Day saw the final Eastern Conference standings settled, as New York clinched third spot with our first victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Inter Miami meanwhile fell to a home defeat on their final day of their regular season campaign to end the league term in sixth place.
While City have secured our seventh successive shot at the playoffs, the 2020 expansion side will be negotiating the tournament for just the second time – and with NYCFC having dominated our previous meetings, winning five of our six encounters, the Boys in Blue will likely enter the fixture as favorites.
However, Cushing and co. will certainly not allow a shred of complacency with seven years' worth of playoff experience behind them, knowing exactly what it takes to lift the trophy and using every crumb of that knowledge in the efforts to retain it.
As captain Sean Johnson highlighted in his interview with NYCFC.com, the team have experienced a lot together and have learned a lot about themselves this season, having gone through periods of change, challenge and triumph.
"We've been through just about any and every situation, both good or bad," the skipper said. "We've had strings of good moments, bad moments, everything in between.
"But I think getting to deal with those situations week in, week out over the course of 34 games puts you in the best position to move forward and deal with whatever's thrown at you in the playoffs."
NYCFC will host sixth seed Inter Miami on Monday, October 17 at Citi Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm ET, with coverage on FS1 and Fox Deportes.