Orlando City hits the road for the first time this season as they face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. The Lions will look to knock NYC, current Eastern Conference leaders, off their perch and earn their first win of 2018. Here is everything you need to know about New York City FC:
New Faces
New York City FC had a quieter offseason in comparison to the Lions, but still brought in a few faces to up their talent pool. Most notably, the blues brought in Anton Tinnerholm to play right back from Malmo, and a month later brought in his former teammate at Malmo, Jo Inge Berget, to add depth at forward. The final notable addition to watch for on Saturday, is Jesus Medina, a young Paraguayan attacking midfielder (seems like a trend these days, right?).
Old Faces in New Places
Saturday will be the first time the Lions will take on NYC with a few blues no longer with the club. For starters, Jack Harrison, gone. The young winger hopped back across the pond to continue his career in his native England. One face the New York club will be without is RJ Allen as he made the offseason switch to our side after being with NYC since their inaugural season in 2015. Finally, you’ll probably notice some guy, (okay, legend) Andrea Pirlo retired. For New York's full offseason moves click here.
Who is Hot?
NYCFC as a whole is off to their hottest start in franchise history taking six points out of a possible six, a feat the club has never accomplished. No surprise, David Villa has already opened his 2018 account with a goal last week against the Galaxy. Their young Paraguayan acquisition, Jesús Medina, has struck early in the year, bagging a goal in their opener at KC.
Head-to-Head
This is a matchup that is never short on drama and has proven to produce the most results in Orlando City’s short MLS history. City has won five of its last seven matches and earned seven of nine points in its last three games at Yankee Stadium. The overall record between the two clubs currently stands at 5-2-2 in favor of the Orlando boys.
