By Anonymous (not verified), March 3, 2023
From NYCFC:
Chicago Fire FC vs. New York City Football Club
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023 | Kick-off: 8:39pm ET
Location: Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
Radio (English/Spanish): NYCFC App | TuneIn App | nycfc.com/radio
Pre-Match Press Conference Assets
Yesterday, New York City Football Club held its pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend's match.
Below you will find video of the press conference featuring Head Coach Nick Cushing and Defenders Braian Cufré and Mitja Ilenič.
Key Points
All-Time Stats
NYCFC is looking to brush off the loss against Nashville FC while on the road again against Chicago Fire. The all-time matchup between Chicago Fire and NYCFC has been in favor of NYCFC, leading in total wins of 10 games out of 18. In total, NYCFC scored 30 goals against Chicago Fire, resulting in 1.66 goals per match. In this upcoming game, the Boys in Blue will reevaluate and use the loss as a motivator to make a comeback.
Luis Barraza as a Starter
With the new season and the season transfers, Luis Barraza has been called into the starting XI, whereas the last time he played a full 90 minutes was during the Campeones Cup vs. FC Atlas back on September 14, 2022, resulting in a 2-0 win, crowning NYCFC champs. His save percentage of 100% allowed him to maintain a clean sheet and contributed to securing the trophy, adding it to the collection with the 2021 MLS Cup trophy. Against Nashville, he produced some significant saves. One was during the 31st minute when he deflected Teal Bunbury’s strike over the crossbar.
New Cityzens
NYCFC made some new additions to the squad, including three new incomers (Tony Alfaro, Mitja Ilenic, Braian Cufré). During the previous game, two of the new incomers, Braian Cufré and Mitja Ilenič, made their debut against Nashville. Braian made it to the starting XI, and Ilenič went on as a substitute for Tayvon Gray in the 82nd minute. Both players contributed to NYCFC’s performance by holding more possession in the match (61.8%), passes (496), and clearances (23). In a total of 70 minutes of playing time, Cufré maintained a passing percentage of 75.8%, and he made a total of seven duels. As for Ilenič, he maintained a passing percentage of 87.5% and made one duel in the eight minutes of playing time. As this is just the beginning of the season, these two will look to continue with their efforts in settling in and learning to play the NYCFC style.
ABOUT NEW YORK CITY FC
New York City Football Club (NYCFC) is an American professional soccer team that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Eastern Conference of the League. It was announced as the League's 20th franchise on May 21, 2013 and is the first and only MLS Club located within the five boroughs of New York City. NYCFC kicked off its inaugural MLS season in March 2015 and is majority owned by City Football Group (CFG). Since its inaugural season, the Club has qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs the last seven consecutive seasons, the second-longest active playoff streak. In 2021, NYCFC won MLS Cup in the Club's first ever appearance, becoming the first professional sports franchise based in New York to win a championship in a decade. In 2022, NYCFC added to its trophy cabinet by winning Campeones Cup, the annual clash between the champions of MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
NYCFC’s affiliate team, NYCFC II, plays in MLS NEXT Pro, a professional soccer league that completes the pro player pathway from MLS NEXT, the youth academies associated with MLS, through to MLS, the top U.S. domestic league. NYCFC II plays their home matches in Belson Stadium at St. John’s University in Queens, NY.
NYCFC’s Academy currently features teams from the U-12 to U-18 age groups and became the first Academy in the country to win back-to-back national titles at the U-19 level. NYCFC proudly supports City in the Community (CITC) foundation to use the power of soccer to uplift communities. One of the programs, New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI), is a first-of-its-kind public-private community partnership to open 50 mini-soccer pitches in NYC neighborhoods in five years. In 2021, NYCSI opened its 50th pitch and committed to install 26 more mini-pitches across NYC in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ which will be hosted across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.