New York City FC Head Coach Pascal Jansen believes his side are ready for the challenge of Sporting Kansas City this Saturday night.
The matchup marks the third game in a demanding four-match road stretch—one that New York City enters with momentum after a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Orlando City SC midweek. An own goal and a late strike from Alonso Martínez secured all three points for the visitors, and with confidence high, Jansen is backing his team to rise to the occasion once again.
“I think the biggest challenge will be us coming from a midweek game—an away game,” Jansen said. “Kansas City didn’t play midweek, so they’ve had a whole week to prepare for this game. I think that will be the biggest challenge.
“However, we are ready and ready to compete. After a good win with a good fight in the second half against Orlando, we're very confident going into this next game—and that’s how things should be."
The team traveled to the Midwest following a short stay in Orlando post-match, allowing players and staff a brief moment to reflect before turning their focus to the weekend.
“We flew straight after the game,” Jansen explained. “Well, not immediately—we went back to the hotel for some recovery, and we flew to Kansas early in the afternoon. It gave us enough time to let the win sink in and shift our focus to this game."
Jansen also offered insight into what was said during the halftime interval and how his players responded to those words of encouragement.
“During halftime, of course, we had our conversation going into the second half. But my main priority was to ensure the team went out better prepared,” he said.
“In general, I thought we weren’t putting up enough of a fight. We were playing far too soft, especially considering what was at stake. We were hoping for a draw by the end, but to get the win was even better.
“We have to learn from that second half, but also from the first half—especially during this road stretch. We need to stay competitive like we did in the second half against Orlando in order to give ourselves the best chance.”
Saturday’s clash marks the third of four consecutive road games for New York City in July. That kind of schedule can test even the most experienced MLS sides, but Jansen credited his staff for the preparation that has gone into ensuring the group is ready.
“I can’t say it’s affected us more than I expected, because this is my first experience going through it,” Jansen said. “On the other hand, we know it’s part of MLS, so we have to deal with it.
“For that, I have to give a lot of credit to the rest of my staff—my performance staff in particular—because they’ve been preparing our players for these circumstances long before we entered this stretch. Hopefully, we’ll benefit from that and be able to perform as well as we can.”
