New York City Football Club is set to face FC Dallas tomorrow, marking the end of a challenging series of away games. Head Coach Pascal Jansen has emphasized the team’s focus on securing a positive outcome in this final match of their road stretch.
In their previous game, New York City drew 1-1 against Sporting Kansas City, bringing their total to four points from two road matches. As they prepare for Friday’s encounter with FC Dallas, Jansen confirmed the team’s determination to finish strong.
“For us, it’s just mainly getting a positive result in an away match,” Jansen stated. “Our away stretch is something that we focus on in order to get that job better from our side.”
Jansen acknowledged his team’s resilience and pointed out areas needing improvement as they near the end of a busy month in Major League Soccer (MLS).
“I think we handled ourselves until now pretty decent, as you say,” he explained. “The circumstances are tough… It’s both teams who have to deal with these situations, so I think we handled ourselves decent so far.”
He noted the need to avoid passivity observed during the second half against Kansas. “I’m not sure if that is only weather-related or the fact that we had to play a few games in a short period of time,” he added.
Additionally, there was news regarding defender Thiago Martins, who recently underwent knee surgery. Jansen expressed his hopes for Martins’ recovery: “From what I’ve been told this morning, the surgery went well… So hopefully things will go well.”
Jansen also addressed questions about his signature touchline attire ahead of the Texas match’s expected heat and humidity. “I think I said enough about my sweatsuit,” he smiled. “But I’ll give you this: I’m very proud to wear this sweatsuit… I haven’t made my decision going into the game against Dallas yet.”
Defender Justin Haak joined Jansen in discussing team preparations. Haak recently surpassed 2,000 MLS minutes and reflected on his evolving role within the squad.
“I always wanted a bigger role… And now that I’m here, I just feel like I can better show what I’ve always felt all along,” Haak said.
Haak also highlighted his efforts in mentoring younger players emerging from the Club’s Academy system.
“It’s really important for me… Seeing all these guys getting really good opportunities with the first team… So it’s just whatever little bits I can help them with,” he remarked.
