Storyline to Watch
NYCFC has been up and down in recent weeks.
New York City FC presented a calm and collected front against LAFC on the road in the first-ever meeting between the clubs this past Sunday evening. An impressive come-from-behind 2-2 draw on the road came just one week after their 4-0 drubbing to crosstown rival New York Red Bulls. David Villa was the first to open the scoring for NYCFC, just 10 minutes before an own-goal from Sebastien Ibeagha leveled the contest. Carlos Vela put LAFC ahead in the 66th minute, but Patrick Vieira's men dug deep and quickly equalized from a tight-angled finish off the crossbar by Ismael Tajouri-Shradi to snatch a road point.
In their most recent home game on April 29, NYC thumped FC Dallas 3-1 behind a brace from David Villa.
Two weeks earlier, NYC traveled to Atlanta (and perhaps the most difficult venue in MLS) and grabbed another impressive road point in a match that was eerily similar to their draw with LAFC. At the time, the two sides were both at the top of the table in the Eastern Conference standings and in the end it was NYCFC's Alex Ring's golazo that saw the visitors leave with a vital road point.
Player to Watch: David Villa
The obvious choice for player to watch this weekend? None other than NYCFC's captain - David Villa. Age is just a number when it comes to the 36-year-old Spanish legend. In fact, the 2016 MLS MVP recently scored his 400th career goal by slotting home a penalty kick during his 100th MLS game.
Villa's nose for goal has seen the Designated Player score 68 times in just 102 MLS games, while adding 23 assists.
Villa is the all-time leading scorer in Spanish national team history, netting 59 goals in 98 appearances, since making his debut in 2005. He was joint-Golden Boot winner, with five goals, at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which Spain won. In addition, he scored more than 100 goals for Valencia before moving to Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and eventually New York City FC.
New York City FC vs Colorado Rapids - Head-to-Head
The Rapids have met New York City FC three times in the MLS regular season, resulting in a 0-1-2 record. NYCFC is currently sitting comfortably above the red line in the third spot in the East with a 6-2-3 overall record. The Rapids, meanwhile, are coming off a 2-1 loss at home to the New York Red Bulls that sees their season record sit at 2-5-2 overall.
The last time the two sides met Dominique Badji struck in the 88th minute to level the scoreline, which gave the Rapids a hard-fought point on September 26, 2017 in front of a home crowd at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park.
The Rapids' only loss to NYCFC was during the only meeting at Yankee Stadium during the 2016 season.
- Head-to-Head Overall: New York City FC 1 win, 6 goals | Colorado Rapids 0 wins, 2 goals | 2 ties
- Head-to-head at NYCFC: New York City FC 1 win, 5 goals | Colorado Rapids 0 wins, 1 goals | 0 ties
- Head-to-head Previous Meeting: Colorado Rapids 1, New York City FC 1 (September 16, 2017)
