Nick Cushing believes his New York City FC side are in a good place as they seek to improve their form on the road against Chicago Fire this weekend.
NYCFC are winless in their last three games away from home, with their latest defeat coming against Austin FC last time out as Gyasi Zardes’ double cancelled out Andres Perea's early strike.
The result leaves them in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, a point behind rivals New York Red Bulls ahead of the upcoming Leagues Cup break.
Despite their recent loss, Cushing’s side have impressed on home turf and is happy with the moment his players find themselves at an important stage of the season.
“I think the upcoming games are important because I think everybody in the league sees the League Cup break as a natural marker in the season,” Cushing said. “You then focus on the Leagues Cup, and then you've got the run in through until the end of the season.
“I think the only way that we have to approach it is to improve the performances from the previous games. The Austin game was vastly improved compared to the Nashville and the LA Galaxy game.
“We dominate the game, we control the game, we showed a real maturity in when to have the ball and when to go out and counterattack. We created many chances, but we just fell on the wrong side of the result.
“We have to take the positives out of the performance and we have to improve in the areas where we don't get the result and ultimately that is executing in the final third. We missed chances that we created and we gave two moments that in this league you will be punished for.
“We have to fix that fast. Whether it is understanding whether it is mentality, I think this group is in a good place."
Chicago Fire, meanwhile, suffered a third defeat in four games at the hands of San Jose Earthquakes, leaving them precariously close to the bottom of the Eastern Conference table.
Just four points separate seven teams at the wrong end of the standings, with the Fire guilty of squandering several opportunities to put important points on the board.
It was the seventh time this season that Chicago have failed to score in a game. No team has failed to do so more often in the MLS this season.
Head coach Frank Klopas acknowledged his side’s wastefulness in front of goal, insisting his players need to find that clinical edge moving forwards.
“For me, the staff and the players, it felt like a missed opportunity for us to go and pick up points,” Klopas said.
“It was probably not a game that we came out with the highest intensity of energy. I think both teams had a little bit of a slow start. We did create opportunities, but again conceded one goal.
“We created enough to come away with points. It’s disappointing because it was an opportunity with the results around us for us to pick up some important momentum and gain some ground on teams.
“We missed that opportunity. We don’t always make it easy on ourselves when those chances come and we can’t let too many more of those slide away because the season is running out.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chicago Fire – Hugo Cuypers
Hugo Cuypers has scored in each of his last three MLS appearances at Soldier Field and will be brimming with confidence ahead of facing NYCFC.
No Fire player has had a longer single-season home scoring streak since Nemanja Nikolic scored in four straight home matches to end the 2017 campaign.
NYCFC – Tayvon Gray
Tayvon Gray continued his influential displays for NYCFC in the final third, notching his fifth assist of the season in their win over Philadelphia Union.
Only two MLS players have more assists this season without having a secondary assist (San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza — 10, New York Red Bulls’ Dante Vanzeir — six).
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
Heading into the encounter at Soldier Field, NYCFC hold the better head-to-head record from their previous meetings with Chicago, having lost just three times in their 20 all-time fixtures (W11, D6), including going unbeaten in their last five encounters (W4, D1).
Chicago, however, will have confidence in front of their home supporters. Of the 15 points they have taken from NYCFC, 13 have come at home (W3, D4, L2).
The Fire have won back-to-back home matches after a six-match winless run at Soldier Field from mid-April to the end of May. Chicago scored six times in their two home wins after scoring only twice in their previous six games at home.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Chicago Fire – 35%
Draw – 26%
NYCFC – 39%
New York Red Bulls v CF Montreal: Swedish defender Eile hopes to repay Schwarz's faith
New York Red Bulls will be out to defend the only remaining unbeaten home record in MLS when they host road strugglers CF Montreal.
Sandro Schwarz's side were held to a 1-1 draw with Colorado Rapids last time out, keeping them fourth in the Eastern Conference.
New York are still 11 points adrift of conference leaders FC Cincinnati but will hope to make up ground when Montreal visit, with the away side 10th in the East standings.
Excitement remains around the Red Bulls and another post-season push, with defender Noah Eile relishing the chance to play in New York and under Schwarz.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity that he and the coaching staff have in me," Eile said.
"They gave me the chance to come here first and it's a big thing for me to be able to come here and play for this great club and great league.
"I just want to be better to show that gratitude towards them."
Montreal defeated Atlanta United 1-0 in their last outing, stretching their league unbeaten run at home to seven games.
The Canadian side did not allow a single shot on target in that win, yet head coach Laurent Courtois still wants more.
"I was disappointed with the collective management of certain individuals tonight and the game scenario," Courtois said after the Atlanta result. "We did some good things, but during the last 25 minutes, it was frustrating to get caught in transition situations.
"I was disappointed at that level. It was especially the transition in possession that was difficult. We had the opportunity to put ourselves out of harm's way with a second goal and we didn't do it.
"Our management of the power play was naive. We hope that we will be able to find more efficiency in the last pass and the presence in the box."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New York Red Bulls – Lewis Morgan
Lewis Morgan netted his 10th goal of the season in the Red Bulls' draw at Colorado on Sunday, his second 10-goal season with New York (14 in 2022).
Morgan is the only Red Bulls player with a 10-goal season since Daniel Royer (11 goals) in 2019, leading New York in attack once again.
CF Montreal – Ruan
Ruan has scored two goals in his last four MLS appearances after not scoring for over two years.
This is the third time Ruan has scored two goals in a single regular season (also in 2021 and 2022 with Orlando City), but can he continue that run here?
MATCH PREDICTION – NEW YORK RED BULLS WIN
The Red Bulls are the heavy favourites for this clash, considering their remarkable head-to-head record against Montreal.
New York have won 12 of their 14 regular-season home matches against Montreal (L2), with their 85.7% win rate the highest for any team at home against another in MLS history (minimum 10 meetings).
The Red Bulls are also unbeaten in their first 10 regular-season home games in 2024 (W6 D4), the club's second-longest home unbeaten run to start a season (13 straight in 2012).
New York are unbeaten in 13 straight at home in all competitions, last losing at Red Bull Arena against Chicago Fire last October, while Montreal are winless in nine straight regular-season away matches (D2 L7).
Montreal have just four wins in their 29 away league matches since the start of last season, and their struggles will expectedly continue here.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New York Red Bulls win – 59%
Draw – 21.4%
CF Montreal win – 19.6%
Dyche 'should be in the hat' to replace Southgate, says Young
Everton head coach Sean Dyche "should be in the hat" to replace outgoing England boss Gareth Southgate, according to Toffees defender Ashley Young.
Southgate announced on Thursday he would be stepping down as the Three Lions' head coach after just under eight years in the role.
The 53-year-old guided England to successive European Championship finals - losing to Italy and Spain respectively - as well as the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, and third place in the 2019 Nations League.
Young was part of the Three Lions side that reached the last four in Russia six years ago, with Southgate bringing him back into the international fold after a four-year absence.
With the search for Southgate's successor now under way, the 39-year-old believes Everton boss Dyche should be in contention.
The former Burnley coach, who has won 90 of his 314 Premier League games in charge, secured top-flight survival on the final day of the 2022-23 season - his first in charge - and, despite facing a points deduction, he steered the Toffees well clear of danger last term.
Young, who paid tribute to Southgate on X, insists his manager's credentials should not be underestimated.
"I don't think even when Gareth Southgate got the job, he [Dyche] was considered to be England manager," he told BBC Sport. "Who can say the gaffer shouldn’t be considered because you don’t know until someone is given that role?
"You have had previous managers like Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello, Roy Hodgson who have come in with a longer career in the game, with more success but have not been able to get the England team to - where I feel - an England team should have been.
"There will be names thrown in the hat left, right and centre, and for the job the manager has done, of course his name should be in the hat.
"When he came in [at Everton], it looked like the club was going to get relegated, and he saved them on the final day of the season.
"He was still able to come in and turn the club around. Last season, if things were different, the position we could have finished in could have been totally different.
"I don't think he is given the praise for what he does and brings to the club. There should be so much more praise for what he has done."
'Newcastle will fight to keep Howe', Magpies CEO insists amid England links
Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales says the club will "fight to keep" Eddie Howe, amid speculation linking the Magpies boss with the England head coach vacancy.
Howe is among the frontrunners to replace Gareth Southgate, who announced on Tuesday he would step down as the Three Lions' boss after their Euro 2024 final heartbreak against Spain.
The 47-year-old, who guided Bournemouth into the Premier League in 2015 and oversaw a five-year stay in the top flight, has also made great strides with Newcastle since replacing Steve Bruce in October 2021.
The Magpies were bottom of the Premier League when Howe took over the reins, but he guided them into the Champions League in his first full season, while they finished a respectable seventh last term.
Howe, who previously said he was not ready for international management, signed a lucrative long-term contract extension with Newcastle last year, and Eales dismissed speculation of him leaving St James' Park for St George's Park.
"The first thing to say is that in any organisation, if you are performing well, there will be speculation from other clubs," the Magpies CEO said from the club's pre-season base in Germany. "But Eddie is under a long-term contract with the club.
"You see him, he loves the day to day of club football, and we have an exciting project here in terms of the commitment from the ownership and the journey we want to go on.
"For sure, we'd fight to keep him at the club. For us, he is exactly the right man for the project we are on at Newcastle United, and that is why we are committed to a long-term deal with him. We love him.
"It is speculation on Eddie. He has been an amazing manager at the club, and he is committed to Newcastle through the work that he has done.
"We are obviously committed to him and had a multi-year extension last summer signed. We are on an exciting journey and, as far as we are concerned, Eddie is the man to lead us on that journey. From our perspective, there is nothing to add."
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