NYCFC host FC Dallas in a rare East vs West matchup on Tuesday night at Red Bull Arena.

The Boys In Blue suffered their second straight defeat on Saturday when they were beaten 3-1 by Nashville and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.

A 1-1 draw was the result for the Hoops in their last outing, continuing a run of form that has seen them win just once in their last six matches as they find themselves in 11th, four points behind the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Team news

The Boys In Blue will be without two key players as leading scorer Valentin Castellanos and central midfielder Alfredo Morales are both suspended after seeing red cards over the weekend. Maxi Moralez and Jesus Medina return after being suspended against New England.

John Nelson has a back injury and will not be available to play for the Hoops and Bressan is sidelined with a shoulder issue. Ryan Hollingshead, Jimmy Maurer and Franco Jara are all also absent while Facundo Quignon and Paxton Pomkyal return to the Dallas lineup.

Ones to watch

With Castellanos suspended, Medina and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi will be counted on to supply the goals as each has scored seven times in 2021. Moralez returning is also a huge boost as he leads the club with eight assists.

Ricardo Pepi is the key to the Toros offense. The 18-year old has 12 goals this season and was named to the MLS All-Star team. He's found the back of the net four times in his last three matches for club and country.

Predicted lineups

NYCFC: Johnson; Tinnerholm, Callens, Chanot, Amundsen; Sands, Acevedo; Thiago, Moralez, Medina; Tajouri-Shradi

FC Dallas: Phelipe; Che, Hedges, Burgess, Twumasi; Cerrillo, Ricuarte, Pomkyal; Obrian, Pepe, Ferreira

Previous meetings

This is only the sixth time NYCFC and FC Dallas have ever played with each side winning once at home and the other three matches all ending in draws.

Their last meeting was in September of 2019 at Toyota Stadium with the match finishing 1-1. Castellanos scored in the first minute, but his strike was cancelled out by Zdenek Ondrasek in the 66th minute.

How to watch

The match will be streamed nationally on ESPN+. There is no live television coverage in New York, but fans can still tune in via the YES Network app.

In Dallas, TXA 21 will provide English-language TV coverage. Spanish-language is available on Estrella TV. The FCDTV Network has all the action digitally. 

Kick-off is set for 7:30pm Eastern time.

VAVEL Logo
About the author