With four matches remaining, Charlotte FC are well-positioned for a run at the top spot in the Eastern Conference while New York City FC hardly are secure in their current playoff slot.
Charlotte will attempt to inch closer to the top seed in the East and run its winning streak to an MLS-record 10 matches on Saturday afternoon when it visits NYCFC.
New York City FC reside in fifth place in the East but are only two points out of eighth.
Charlotte (17-11-2, 53 points) is two points behind second-placed Cincinnati and four in back of conference leader Philadelphia, which also leads the MLS in points. Charlotte is 9-0-1 since dropping three straight one-goal decisions from June 14-28.
Charlotte posted its sixth shutout of this run after Idan Toklomati recorded his first career MLS hat trick to bring his season total to 11 goals in Saturday’s 3-0 home win over Inter Miami. Charlotte is on the league’s longest winning streak since Seattle won nine straight in 2018.
“I think we already push people’s expectations, maybe,” Charlotte defender Nathan Byrne said. “So we don’t really feel the pressure in that, and it’s just about doing as much as we can do to show that on the weekend.”
New York City (15-9-5, 50 points) is one point ahead of Inter Miami and only two points ahead of eighth-place Orlando. New York City is 6-1-1 in its past eight contests since a 2-0 loss at Charlotte on July 12.
NYCFC will attempt to win three straight games for the first time this season after earning a 3-2 home victory over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night.
New York City overcame a pair of one-goal deficits before Julian Fernandez scored four minutes into second-half stoppage time and netted the game-winner after replacing Maxi Moralez in the 67th minute.
“I believe (once you enter) the final stage of the season with around eight games to go, that’s where you either win or lose what you’re after during the league,” NYCFC coach Pascal Jansen said. “We were competitive throughout the season, had our ups and downs, (and) a few moments. Going into this stretch with everything still possible, as tight as it is in our league at the moment, (every match is like) eight finals.”
–Field Level Media
