At least for the moment anyway, New York City FC are in the favorable position of holding a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference.
A few more shaky performances may push the defending champions into the bottom half of the playoff picture as NYCFC attempt to reverse their recent struggles Sunday night when they visit the New England Revolution.
With six regular-season games remaining, NYCFC (13-9-6, 45 points) began this weekend in fourth place, one point behind the New York Red Bulls and three ahead of Orlando City. While Orlando is idle, the deficit gap with the Red Bulls could increase when kickoff rolls around on Sunday.
NYCFC have faltered since Valentin Castellanos was loaned to Girona in Spain’s La Liga toward the end of July. Since Castellanos’ final appearance the club is 1-5-1.
The latest struggle was a 2-1 setback to lowly D.C. United on Wednesday when NYCFC conceded the tie-breaking goal in the 57th minute and managed one goal or fewer for the 15th time.
“I think in this situation the important thing is qualifying for the playoffs,” NYCFC midfielder Maxi Moralez said. “We’re in the top four, so I don’t think we should feel worried. There’s a long way to go, so I think the most important thing is being in the playoffs. In the playoffs, this team will change.”
New England (8-9-11, 35 points) began the weekend one point behind Inter Miami CF for the final playoff spot, tied with FC Cincinnati in points and one point ahead of 10th-place Toronto.
The Revolution, who won their first Supporter’s Shield last season, are 0-2-2 in their past four games and 2-4-4 in their past 10. During those past 10 games, New England has been shut out four times, including Wednesday when five of its 14 shots were on target in a 0-0 draw with visiting Chicago.
“We’re in a battle for the playoffs with, what I would estimate, eight teams at this point,” New England coach Bruce Arena said. “Everyone has challenges, but the bottom line is we need to get three points.”
–Field Level Media
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