After a fantastic two weekends of celebrating New York City FC’s tenth anniversary in Major League Soccer, the Pigeons find themselves heading back on the road. After two challenging games to start the season against Inter Miami CF and Los Angeles FC, the Boys in Blue must travel to Ohio to battle it out with the Columbus Crew.
As fans know, NYCFC tends to struggle in Columbus and lately, the Crew has been one of their kryptonite teams. Last season, the Bronx side lost both MLS fixtures and were knocked out of the Leagues Cup via a penalty kick shootout. The last win against the Black and Gold came in 2022, so the home team has dominated the matchup over the previous few years.
While NYCFC still has many of their starters from last season, injury concerns within the team and then the departures of Santiago Rodríguez and James Sands will certainly impact the squad. Alonso Martínez is off to a hot start since he has scored three goals in four games, but the team’s play has been messy, and this includes the matches they won. Plus, the Costa Rican will not be available since he is away with Costa Rica on international duty.
Therefore, with some of the growing pains seen in the first four fixtures, and then the history in Columbus, it is difficult to see the Boys in Blue leaving with three points. A draw might be possible, but otherwise, NYCFC would have to pull off something special to grab a win.
How to watch, time, and more of the battle between NYCFC and Columbus
Date
Time
7:30 PM ET, with an expected kickoff at 7:40 PM ET
How to watch on TV and streaming
MLS Season Pass via Apple TV
How to watch in person
Supporters must travel to Columbus to see the team in person
How to listen
newyorkcityfc.com/radio or via the NYCFC app
How to follow
If NYCFC fans cannot watch or listen to the game, then they can follow along via MLS Soccer’s timeline and NYCFC’s X account. Additionally, the club will post updates here and there on Bluesky and Facebook.
Final Notes
As mentioned, Martínez will miss the match due to international duty. He is the only vital player that will be missing, for Tomás Romero is the backup goalkeeper, Drew Baiera has not broken into the team yet, and Zidane Yañez is not on the roster for 2025. The Crew will be without four, where three are starters. This includes goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.