ClapOver in the Western Conference of the MLS, it’s been clear to see that there has been one shining light from beginning to end this season: and that’s Los Angeles FC. Nobody can begrudge their success up to this point, and they will enter the playoffs with a lot of momentum.
Over in the East, though, it’s been a different story with several teams edging themselves into strong positions. Now, New York City FC seem to be in prime position to lead the way heading into the playoffs – and they’re more than ready for the challenge.
However, as reported by Pro Soccer USA and MLS Soccer, there are still a few speedbumps that they need to overcome, mainly relating to their schedule.
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Yankee Stadium has been at the heart of their success, but due to the fact that the New York Yankees themselves are on a good run of form, they could both wind up being scheduled to play at home on the same day throughout their respective playoff runs.
If that happens, then an alternative schedule has been arranged.
“We’re extremely proud of the team’s achievement this season and finishing top of the Eastern Conference will provide us with a great platform as we enter our fourth consecutive playoff campaign,” NYCFC sporting director Claudio Reyna said in a statement. “Should Yankee Stadium be unavailable, we feel extremely comfortable playing our games at Citi Field which has proven to be an excellent alternative venue for the club.”
“We played a pivotal Decision Day game there in 2017 with our fans providing the same electric atmosphere we’re used to at Yankee Stadium and we know they will do the same come playoff time,” Reyna stated.
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“This season has been incredible and we are excited to kick off our playoff campaign,” NYCFC CEO Brad Sims said in a statement. “We’re also happy for our partners at the New York Yankees for having a fantastic season, and while we recognize their success could relocate our playoff games and is not ideal for our fans, we’re extremely confident that Citi Field would provide us with the home field advantage needed.”
One way or another it feels like the fans are going to be fairly happy, but at the end of the day, switching location across the city doesn’t really matter all too much. All that matters is that NYCFC prove themselves to be the kind of world class MLS team that we all know they can be.
There’s a long road ahead if they want to ascend to the height of winning the MLS Cup itself, but they need to put all of this extra noise to one side. The focus and the goal is going to be taking things step by step and not losing sight of the final stretch: the MLS Cup Final.
People can panic and worry about the stadium all they want, but believing in NYCFC and the Yankees is the priority here.
