New York City FC Head Coach Pascal Jansen says his team will enter Saturday’s Eastern Conference Final fully committed to earning a place in the MLS Cup Presented by Audi.
Jansen’s side faces Inter Miami CF in Florida on Saturday evening after navigating a demanding playoff path that included a best-of-3 series win over Charlotte FC and a Conference Semifinal victory against the Supporters' Shield winners the Philadelphia Union in Chester, Pennsylvania, last weekend.
Reflecting on the journey so far, Jansen believes his side has shown the resilience and adaptability required at this stage of the postseason.
“That's not a word [underdog] that I've been using,” he said. “That's something that has been used by the outside world. It is what it is. I think we have earned the right to be in this final, and we’re going to give everything we have to get a good result against Miami again. It’s no different from all the games we’ve played so far in the playoffs.”
Saturday’s matchup presents another significant test, with Jansen expecting Miami to pose a formidable challenge.
“It’s going to be a very tough game away from home against one of the best teams in the league,” he said. “We do have to make sure that mentality is there again to give ourselves a good chance of reaching the [MLS Cup] final.”
The teams shared a 2–2 draw in Miami earlier this season before New York City fell in the return fixture. Jansen believes lessons can be taken from that match in New York while also acknowledging Miami’s tactical evolution throughout 2025.
“If you look back at the game we played at home, for close to 70 minutes it was a pretty even game,” he said. “We had two big opportunities to go 1–0 up before they scored. That’s something we have to take into account, but we also have to respect the fact they’re playing a little differently now. We just need to be ready for whatever they throw at us.”
Throughout the playoffs, New York City has showcased impressive tactical flexibility—the ability to shift between disciplined defensive phases and authoritative spells of possession has made them particularly dangerous on the road.
“I’ve said throughout the season that we have several tools in our toolbox to dominate games,” Jansen noted. “Being out of possession is one phase of the game. If you look at the previous game we played against Philly, I think the game state was pretty even apart from the final phase.
“If you play away against Philly, with them being one-nil down, throwing everything at you in order to get back into the game, you might get pushed back a little. That happened also in Charlotte because they were chasing the game.
“Either you have to step up and make sure that the quality in possession stays at a very high level in order to control the game. If that is not the case, or slightly different, you have to make sure there's a solid defensive organization that keeps the goal clean and make sure you use the other tools—and one of them is the transition—to go forward and also be decisive.
"So those are things that you've seen throughout the playoffs. But as I mentioned in the beginning, it's just part of our toolbox.”
With Thanksgiving falling during match preparation, New York City adjusted its schedule while maintaining focus on Saturday’s objective.
“I’m quite certain we’ll eat healthy once we’re in the building on Thursday,” Jansen said with a smile. “We moved training up about half an hour so the players can be with their families a bit earlier than usual. You have to respect the traditions, and we will do that for sure.
"But we also have a very important game on Saturday. I trust my players to be professional enough to do the right things in order to be ready for Friday’s session, traveling to Miami, and playing a good game on Saturday.”
