Even though they’ll have a raucous home crowd behind them on Sunday, New York City FC are going to have a very tough time getting back into their playoff tie against Toronto FC. The Reds won their first ever playoff game in the first round, and they’re looking good to make their first ever semifinal as well, as they head to the Bronx with a 2-0 lead in hand from the second leg.
NYCFC vs. Toronto FC, MLS playoffs 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
The biggest names in MLS square off for a spot in the Eastern Conference finals.
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The forward combination of Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore has finally started clicking up top for TFC. Altidore has scored in both playoff games, while Giovinco has constantly influenced play even when he hasn’t made it onto the box score. TFC’s defense has improved rapidly as well, and it’ll be very difficult for NYCFC to score two or more goals without conceding any.
But if anyone can turn this tie on its head by himself, it’s NYCFC’s David Villa. Spain’s all-time leading scorer is one of the deadliest strikers in MLS, and his team is never out of any game that he’s involved in.
TV: FS1 (U.S. - English), Fox Deportes (U.S. - Spanish)
Online: Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Yankee Stadium, New York, New York
Three big things to know
- This game is historic for both teams. Both will feel like they’ve achieved the minimum acceptable season by getting this far, but they’re the league’s biggest spenders, and they have MLS Cup aspirations -- especially given that the Eastern Conference is thinner than the Western Conference. For each, beating the other and advancing to a conference final for the first time will be a vindication of all the headaches leading up to this point.
- It’s time for Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo to show up. While Villa has earned his salary so far, NYCFC’s other two big-name superstars have not. Pirlo, though he’s still the best passer in MLS by several orders of magnitude, often looks well off the pace in transition and is a liability defensively. Lampard had a productive season when he was healthy, but he wasn’t fit enough to start in Toronto. They need to justify their signings in this game.
- Jurgen Klinsmann is praying Altidore can keep it going. Canadian fans won’t love us bringing the USMNT into this, but the Mexico game is less than a week away. Altidore is a streaky player who’s unplayable when he’s high on confidence and nearly useless when his morale is low. The USMNT needs Altidore to arrive at camp in great spirits, so they need him to put NYCFC to the sword.
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