New York City FC Head Coach Pascal Jansen says his side’s resilience has been one of their strongest traits this season.
Jansen's side are preparing for a trip for Pennsylvania this weekend, where they will take on the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on Saturday.
New York City are keen to make it back-to-back wins after recording a memorable 3-2 win in the Hudson River Derby against Red Bulls last time out. That result came after a challenging defeat to Inter Miami CF, with Jansen explaining that the group's response in the Hudson River Derby underlined their mentality.
“It says a lot about the character of the team, obviously, coming back, or bouncing back, from a bad result against Miami,” Jansen said. “I think Miami was a game where we played pretty well for 70 minutes or so, didn’t reward ourselves in the first half, got punished for a few mistakes at a high level, but that was discussed last week.
“So the focus was on Red Bull, bouncing back and keeping it simple, knowing there was pressure beyond just their strategy. Getting the goal in an early stage of the game helped us, and we showed great character in that game. Them coming back the way they did, and still getting the three points like we did, is a massive compliment to the team.”
The Dutchman credited the team’s improved game management and collective understanding as key factors in their ability to handle setbacks and deliver results when under pressure.
“What has changed [is] development in general, of the whole team,” he explained. “The game management and the game understanding are at a much higher level, and that is something that you develop throughout the season by analysis, your conversations, your training sessions, and making sure that they recognize certain situations and communicate that throughout the team. When you sense these moments, then focus and stick by the plan that we’ve made going into the game.”
This week also brought news that Sporting Director David Lee will depart the Club in order to join Sporting Kansas City. Lee joined New York City FC in 2014 as the Club’s Director of Player Recruitment before becoming Technical Director in 2017. He was then promoted to the role of Sporting Director in 2019, and oversaw the team's first piece of silverware in 2021 when they lifted MLS Cup.
Jansen admitted he will miss working with Lee, who was instrumental in bringing him to Major League Soccer, but insisted the team’s focus remains unchanged.
“Nothing’s going to change our focus,” Jansen said. “Obviously, we know that we’re in the playoffs already, but we also want to get the maximum result in the last two games in the regular season.
“David is the one who reached out to me at an early point to discuss this project. I’m sorry to see him go, because we have a very good relationship in the workplace. He’s a great person… But as in life, you get opportunities, and then you have to decide if it’s something that you’re going to go for or not. I wish him all the best.”
Jansen also confirmed that forward Alonso Martínez and goalkeeper Matt Freese are both back in the squad for Saturday’s trip to Subaru Park, after overcoming recent injury issues.
“Alonso is part of our squad, so the medical team has worked 24/7 in order to get him ready again,” he said. “Everything is in place now. So we’re expecting Alonso to be part of our squad again, and then it’s up to me to make the right calls in order to have the strongest team on the pitch against Philly.
"Matt looks good. He's been following protocol. Today was his final checkup, and all looks good."
