New York City FC vs. Columbus Crew SC | 2016 MLS Match Preview

NEW YORK CITY FC vs. COLUMBUS CREW SC
Yankee Stadium | Bronx, New York
Sunday, Oct. 23 | Week #34 | MLS Game #333
4 pm ET (MLS LIVE, Spectrum Sports OH, CW Columbus, YES)

New York City FC will be looking to secure a bye for the Knockout Round of the 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs when they conclude the 2016 regular season against Columbus Crew SC on Decision Day at Yankee Stadium. With a victory, or the failure of Toronto FC to defeat the Chicago Fire, NYCFC will clinch at least second place in the Eastern Conference and a first-round bye. NYCFC return home after seeing a two-game winning run put to an end in a 3-1 loss at D.C. United last weekend. It's the season finale for Crew SC, finishing the season with a third consecutive away match following a 3-2 loss at the New York Red Bulls last weekend.

• NYCFC saw their two-game winning run put to an end in a 3-1 loss at D.C. United on Sunday afternoon. David Villa scored the lone NYCFC goal, now with 22 goals for the season, sitting in second place in the MLS Golden Boot standings; Villa has scored five goals over the last three matches.
• Crew SC conclude a three-game season-ending road swing at Yankee Stadium, after suffering a 3-2 loss to the New York Red Bulls on the other side of the Hudson River on Sunday afternoon. Adam Jahn scored his third goal over the last two matches for Crew SC.
• The teams are meeting for the third time this season, the first two both at MAPFRE Stadium. In the first meeting on April 16, David Villa scored twice for NYCFC, but Ethan Finlay, Kei Kamara and Justin Meram hit the back of the net for Crew SC for a 3-2 victory. Then on Aug. 13, Villa scored a pair of goals, including a stoppage-time go-ahead penalty kick – but Ethan Finlay also netted twice, including the 95th-minute equalizer, to leave the teams in a 3-3 draw Aug. 13.
• The teams met twice in NYCFC’s first MLS season. They reached a 2-2 draw Aug. 19 at Mapfre Stadium, then Crew SC claimed a 2-1 victory 10 days later at Yankee Stadium.

REFEREE: Jose Carlos Rivero. AR1 (bench): Corey Parker; AR2 (opposite): Eric Weisbrod; 4th: Jorge Gonzalez
MLS Career: 67 games; FC/gm: 26.8; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 17; pens: 29

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
FINED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NYC: R.J. Allen -- CLB: Tony Tchani
DISABLED LIST: CLB: Matt Pacifici, Ben Swanson (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (4 meetings): NYCFC 0 wins, 8 goals -- Crew SC 2 wins, 10 goals -- Ties 2
AT YANKEE STADIUM (1 meeting): NYCFC 0 wins, 1 goal -- Crew SC 1 win, 2 goals -- Ties 0

2016 (MLS):
4/16: CLB 3, NYC 2 (Finlay 7; K. Kamara 49; Meram 80 -- Villa 15, 87)
8/13: CLB 3, NYC 3 (Meram 49; Finlay 80, 95+ -- Lampard 41; Villa 83, 92+)

• Coaches record: Patrick Vieira vs. CLB: P2 W0 L1 D1 -- Gregg Berhalter vs. NYC: P4 W2 L0 D2

LAST MEETING (MLS):

• NYCFC took the lead in the 41st minute when Frank Lampard followed an Andrea Pirlo free kick that Crew SC goalkeeper Steve Clark parried off the post and tapped in from the edge of the six-yard box.
• But Crew SC leveled four minutes into the second half, when Justin Meram powered home a header from the middle of the NYCFC penalty area from a Waylon Francis cross. The home side then took the lead with 10 minutes to go when Ethan Finlay converted his own penalty kick after being taken down by a late challenge in the NYC penalty area.
• Yet David Villa pulled NYCFC level just three minutes later, turning home a cross at the far post from a Pirlo cross from the right. Then Villa scored his second and put the visitors back on top in stoppage time, converting from the penalty spot after Crew SC defender Harrison Afful handled the ball in the box.
• But there was one more answer for Crew SC, Finlay firing home a half-volley from the edge of the goal area after a blocked shot following a partially cleared free kick bounced around in the NYCFC penalty area.
• COLUMBUS CREW SC (4-2-3-1): Steve Clark - Harrison Afful, Michael Parkhurst, Nicolai Naess, Waylon Francis (Hector Jimenez 61) - Wil Trapp, Tony Tchani - Ethan Finlay, Federico Higuain (Cedrick Mabwati 74), Justin Meram (Adam Jahn 85) - Ola Kamara.
• NEW YORK CITY FC (4-1-2-3): Josh Saunders - Jason Hernandez (Steven Mendoza 82), Frederic Brillant, Maxime Chanot, R.J. Allen (Ronald Matarrita 69) - Andoni Iraola - Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo - Tony Taylor (Jack Harrison 54), David Villa, Thomas McNamara.