Preview:New York City FC vs DC United - prediction, team news, lineups

In search of their first MLS triumph in nearly three months, DC United will visit Yankee Stadium to face New York City FC on Saturday in the Bronx.

The Pigeons are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference after edging FC Cincinnati 1-0, while DC are at the bottom of the conference, drawing Inter Miami 1-1 the last time out.

Match preview

We have been saying all season that New York City have struggled with consistency from one match to the next, but it seems like they have finally pulled it together.

Heading into this weekend, Pascal Jansen’s men have collected at least a point in five consecutive league fixtures, winning in four of those instances.

A win or draw on Saturday would surpass their longest domestic unbeaten run from 2024 (five games), while they can collect a fourth successive triumph, which would be their longest such streak since May of last year (five).

Thanks to their recent form, they are back in the hunt for an automatic berth in the opening round of the playoffs, trailing the Columbus Crew by a single point, while they have a game in hand on them.

Three of their last four league games played at Yankee Stadium have ended with the home side collecting maximum points, with the Boys in Blue conceding a goal or fewer in each of those triumphs.

NYCFC have never lost a match versus DC United in the Bronx, coming away with a 3-2 victory the last time they faced them at Yankee Stadium in 2023.

Yet another MLS campaign will end in disappointment for the Black and Red, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention last week.

Under Rene Weiler, though, we have seen some minor improvement, with this side collecting a single point in his only two matches at the helm.

On the other hand, the Black and Red are on an 11-game winless run in this competition, claiming a result on only three of those occasions.

Although they will miss the post-season for a sixth successive campaign, they can avoid experiencing their worst MLS year this decade in terms of points by claiming at least seven from their final six affairs.

DC will have fewer away wins than a year ago, regardless of how they fare in their final three league games as the visitors, but they can equal their longest road unbeaten run in MLS this year with a win or draw on Saturday (two).

The Black and Red have netted the fewest goals in the league (24 goals), failing to score in their last two regular-season contests against New York-based teams.

New York City FC Major League Soccer form:

New York City FC form (all competitions):

DC United Major League Soccer form:

DC United form (all competitions):

Team News

Against Cincy last week, New York City were once again missing Keaton Parks, Nico Cavallo and Malachi Jones, all of whom were dealing with leg injuries.

Alonso Martinez had the winning goal for them for a third straight time in this competition, while Matt Freese made five stops to collect a clean sheet.

Due to a thigh strain, Lukas MacNaughton sat out of their previous contest, Randall Leal had a sore leg, Kristian Fletcher was recovering from a knee issue, and Caden Clark sat out because of a head injury.

Jackson Hopkins had their only goal versus the Herons, and the attacker should have some reinforcements this weekend as Christian Benteke and Boris Enow are eligible to return from their yellow card suspensions.

New York City FC possible starting lineup:

Freese; Gray, Martins, Haak, O’Toole; O’Neill, Perea; Wolf, Moralez, N. Fernandez; Martinez

DC United possible starting lineup:

Barraza; Antley, Bartlett, Rowles, Schnegg; Enow, Peltola; Herrera, Pirani, Kijima; Benteke

We say: New York City FC 2-1 DC United

While New York City have struggled against the weaker sides in the league this year, they are facing a frustrated one in DC who look defeated and cannot seem to get it together in any phase of the game.

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