How to stream, watch, and listen to NYCFC play in the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals + game preview, game day poll, and game thread.
It's game day: New York City FC host Guatemalan side Communicación FC in the first leg of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) quarterfinals. The second leg will be held in Guatemala City one week from today on Tuesday, March 15 at 8 p.m. ET.
NYCFC entered the quarterfinals after a comprehensive loss to Costa Rican side Santos de Guapiles, in which City scored six goals and allowed none. The communiques advanced after an impressive performance against the Colorado Rapids played in a Rocky Mountain snowstorm: reduced to 10 players, Los Cremas held on to force a penalty shootout, which they won.
Today's match will be played on synthetic grounds at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, CT, home of the Yukon Huskies. NYCFC is hosting its home leg, a 110-mile drive from the Bronx (take I-684 to I-84, avoid New Haven traffic), for the same reason that the club moved the Costa Rican side to California Stadium in Los Angeles. The bank hosted Santos de Guapiles. ANGELES: Yankee Stadium is not a CONCACAF-approved venue; NYCFC's second home Citi Field is also not CONCACAF-approved; And the Red Bulls Arena, NYCFC's other away from home, is unavailable.
• Injury Reported: NYCFC defender Anton Tinnerholm is out of an Achilles injury last October. The rest of the team is available.
• NYCFC has two strong performances in the CCL, and two flat performances in the MLS - City have not scored a goal in league play so far this season. While NYCFC's performance in a 0-0 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps improved in their 1-0 season-opening defeat to the LA Galaxy, the team has yet to rediscover the on-field chemistry that will lead them to the 2021 MLS Cup. Went.
• Playing a home game in East Hartford may be less than ideal, but at least the NYCFC squad is home: the city has been on the road since preseason training began in mid-January, spending the last seven weeks living out of suitcases Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica, California and British Columbia.
• Comuniacaciones will be rested and prepared. The 30-time winners of the Liga Nacional de Guatemala had their weekend games rescheduled to travel to the United States and prepare for the CCL match. The communiques arrived in the area on Saturday, the day before NYCFC. You can read more about it in "The Bilsa Report: Five Things You Should Know About Comunications FC."
• CCL on MLS teams is not easy: Seattle Sounders and CF Montreal both lost their two opening matches. Seattle has yet to score a goal in MLS, while Montreal has scored a goal against the 10-man Philadelphia Union. Only the New England Revolution, which is doing well with a win and a draw, is doing well with a win and a draw.
Your Boys in Blue set to take on @CremasOficial in Leg 1 of @TheChampions Quarterfinal 🔵📋 pic.twitter.com/nLcnL04Niu
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) March 9, 2022