NYCFC vs Toronto FC preview: Let there be blue fireworks | OneFootball

On the night before Independence Day, the Bronx will be full of blue and red since New York City FC will take on Toronto FC in their only home match of July.  The Boys in Blue won the opposite fixture and will look to win their sixth straight against the Canadian side in all competitions.

After the loss to CF Montréal, the Pigeons will seek to light up the pitch with blue fireworks and score multiple goals.  It helps that Alonso Martínez is back with the squad and will hopefully start.  However, Pascal Jansen might be careful with the Costa Rican since he played the entire match on Sunday against the USMNT.  If that does happen, then the home side will need Hannes Wolf to step up like he did against Nashville SC and Atlanta United FC.

No matter how NYCFC does it, whether it is a goal or multiple goals, NYCFC must win.  The next four Major League Soccer games will be on the road, so it is vital that the Pigeons come away with all three points.  It would look awful if they drop any points to another bottom-of-the-table team.

NYCFC vs Toronto FC preview

Date

NYCFC and Toronto will meet on Thursday, July 3.

Time

The fixture will begin at 7:30 PM ET.

Location

The game will occur at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY.

How to watch

Fans can watch the match on the MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Weather

Not only should people attend the game since many will have off the next day for the 4th of July, but also because it will be a nice night.  At the start, it will be mostly cloudy and around 83 degrees.  There is a slight chance of rain, but it should stay dry throughout the evening.

Injury report

Malachi Jones (leg) and Keaton Parks (leg) are both unavailable due to injury.  Matt Freese is still missing due to international duty. Then, Tayvon Gray will miss the fixture due to yellow card accumulation.

Players to watch

NYCFC fans should watch Martínez.  It is unknown whether he will start, but the striker would be a game-changer on the pitch.  He has done well while with Costa Rica over the last month, and ideally, he will rejoin the Pigeons and score multiple goals.  It will also be interesting to see whether he plays if he does not start.  Unless the team is up by three or four goals, one should expect him to at least make an appearance.

Fans should also watch the former NYCFC captain, Sean Johnson.  He has been with Toronto for a few years now and has only beaten his former side once.  With his team’s struggles, will he stop the Boys in Blue?  This is something to watch.

It is hard to see NYCFC losing to Toronto after their recent success, so the prediction is that they will win, but it will be a close 3-2 result.  It will not be a perfect performance, and there will be some bumps on the road.  Nevertheless, the team will earn those critical three points.