Nashville SC v. New York City FC 2026 MLS Regular Season - Matchday 15 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026 | Kickoff: 8:40pm ET Location: GEODIS Park | Nashville, TN Television: Apple TV Radio (English/Spanish): New York City FC App | Tune In App newyorkcityfc.com/radio
NEW YORK CITY FC HEAD COACH PASCAL JANSEN
On Goalkeeper Matt Freese’s development and U.S. Men’s National Team prospects... “I hope he’s going to be the starter. I think he’s shown at Club level and at U.S. Men’s National Team level that he is a trustworthy goalkeeper with very high quality. The thing is, in your question you asked, how I see his progression and development in general. As I’ve mentioned a couple of times already, what I love the most about [Goalkeeper] Matt [Freese] is that he sets concrete and very clear goals for himself in order to focus on becoming a better goalkeeper. Even this year, you can see all the things that we talked about regarding the next step he needed to take. You can see at Club level that he’s doing even better again than last season, which is a massive achievement for Matt as an individual. It’s also a good reflection of how he’s able to determine his goals and eventually improve every time.”
On lessons from facing Nashville SC last season... “Well, it’s a small part. I think we did well last season, but I do want to remind you of the first half we played in Nashville last season, which was a half where we struggled. The second half was much more positive from our side. Obviously, we looked at those images as well preparing for this game. But we have to realize it’s a whole new season and a whole new situation. Both rosters have changed. We expect a few different players on the pitch as well. If I have to name one, [Hany] Mukhtar is a very big piece for Nashville of course, and we expect him to be on the pitch tomorrow. But we’re looking forward to meeting them again. Two sides that like to play with possession, have good players on both sides, and I think it will be a good game again.”
NEW YORK CITY FC DEFENDER KAI TREWIN
On preparing to face Nashville SC... “It’s a lot based on regen and recovery, just making sure that we’re as fresh as we can be ready to go for that game. Obviously, they’re a great team and they’re having a great season, so we’ve got to be at our best to compete with them, and I’m sure we will be.”
On balancing MLS matches with possible international duty... “In a lot of ways it’s a positive for me because it keeps me match fit and keeps me strong. Obviously it takes a little bit at the start of the season for your body to get used to that amount of games in such a small window. But I feel like I’m in a place now where I’m able to back up games pretty comfortably...Obviously the World Cup isn’t far away, so making sure we're fit and ready for that is the most important thing, and having so many games in this period has definitely helped me with that. For the boys going into the break, I guess they’ve been looking forward to focusing on their regen and recovery, getting through the last couple of games before the break and then recovering and preparing for the second part of the season.”
Editor's Note: Please see our website for video of the presser.
