New York City FC face D.C. United on Saturday, November 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00PM ET.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford.
Form Guide
Saturday’s clash will be the 27th meeting between New York City FC and D.C. United.
The first game, way back in 2015, saw New York City FC emerge victorious against the Black and Red by a score of 3-1. Goals from David Villa, Kwadwo Poku and Tommy McNamara gave New York City the win at Yankee Stadium.
The team’s first visit to the capital that same season ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat. They would put that right in the 2016 season, winning 2-0 at RFK Stadium, thanks to goals from Villa and Khiry Shelton.
More recently, D.C. United has proven to be a tricky opponent for New York City. One win, two draws and two defeats have defined the most recent meetings. The last victory, at Citi Field in 2024, was thanks to an early goal from Santi Rodríguez and an injury-time strike from Julian Fernández.
Despite that, historically New York has enjoyed the better of the rivalry, winning 12, losing nine and drawing five against D.C. United. If New York City FC finds the net on Saturday, it will be the 45th goal the team has scored against the Black and Red.
System Change
René Weiler has experimented with several different formations during the 2026 campaign.
In the reverse fixture against New York City FC, he utilized a 4-3-3 system, but in recent weeks, he has reverted to a more familiar 4-4-2. Commonly referred to as an “empty bucket” due to the presence of two holding midfielders, it looks to make the most of transition opportunities by keeping the team narrow.
United’s last win came last month against Red Bull New York. That direct style was on full show, as the penalty the team earned early on came as a consequence of a move that used five passes to go from the D.C. half to the Red Bulls’ goal mouth.
New York City will need to be mindful of that threat and limit the transition opportunities they afford D.C. to avoid the contest becoming end-to-end.
Thank You
The season for New York City FC will end well before the team hoped and wished for after it failed to make the playoffs.
Despite that setback, your support has remained as strong as ever, both home and away. That continued support is something both Pascal Jansen and his players appreciate greatly, voicing their appreciation on a number of occasions during the course of 2026.
We know the support will remain consistent again this weekend in the final competitive game of the year, and for that, everyone at the Club says thank you once again.
