New York City FC will play four of their next five MLS fixtures on home soil, beginning on Saturday when they host CF Montreal at Yankee Stadium.
Thanks to a 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati, the Boys in Blue moved up to seventh in the Eastern Conference table, while Le CFM are still at the bottom following a 2-1 loss at home to the Philadelphia Union.
Match preview
Over the past couple of years, New York City FC had their share of struggles in close games, often walking away with just a single point at most.
Under Pascal Jansen, though, that has changed, with all five of their MLS triumphs in 2025 being by a single goal, while they have lost just two by that margin.
Four of their victories in this competition have occurred at home, including two at Yankee Stadium, after claiming just one point from their final two regular-season affairs in the Bronx last year.
Over the past few weeks, they have been a much sounder defensive unit, with the Pigeons collecting three clean sheets in their last four league contests.
Should they claim another one this weekend it would equal their longest run in this competition without conceding since September 2023 (three games).
As the home team, NYCFC have won their last five domestic meetings with Le CFM, conceding just two goals over that stretch, while posting a clean sheet in those two previous outings.
CF Montreal's agonising wait for to claim that first MLS win of 2025 continues, as they failed to get the job done yet again last Saturday.
While New York City have won their share of close matches in MLS this year, it has been the opposite for Le CFM, with six of their eight defeats in 2025 being by a single goal.
Four of those narrow losses came under current interim manager Marco Donadel, while Montreal have gone into the interval tied five times this year, claiming points in only two of those instances.
It is officially the worst start to a season for this club since entering Major League Soccer, scoring a league-low five goals after 11 matchdays.
They have failed to score in five of their eight domestic away fixtures in 2024, though two of their three points accumulated in the campaign have come as the visitors.
A win on Saturday would mark the first time they will have claimed consecutive triumphs against the Pigeons in MLS and the first time they will have collected maximum points at Yankee Stadium since 2015 (3-2 win).
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Team News
Leg injuries kept Malachi Jones, Kevin O'Toole and Mitja Ilenic out of the NYCFC fold last weekend, while Jacob Arroyave was sidelined with a sore knee.
Julian Fernandez scored the winner against the Orange and Blue, while Matt Freese made four saves for his second successive clean sheet in league play.
As for Montreal, Hennadiy Synchuk and Bryce Duke were both sidelined in their previous match with Philly because of lower body injuries.
Giacomo Vrioni netted their equaliser late in the opening half last week, his second in successive competitive fixtures for Le CFM after he scored in their Canadian Championship win over Toronto.
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Freese; Gray, Martins, Haak; Parks, Shore; Fernandez, Moralez, Ojeda, Wolf; Martinez
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Sirois; Waterman, Campbell, Neal, Petrasso; Sealy, Loturi, Piette, Clark; Vrioni, Owusu
We say: New York City FC 1-0 CF Montreal
Montreal know how to keep it close but cannot seem to find that decisive breakthrough, while experience seems to have done New York City FC some good in nail-biting affairs, and we expect them to find a way to get ahead in this one.
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