New York City FC will face Atlanta United on Wednesday night at Citi Field, with kickoff set for 7:30PM ET and both teams still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The meeting lands with three games left for each club, which gives the result a direct say in where the table stands next.
The reason the matchup has pulled attention is simple: the standings are still tight enough for both sides to matter. A New York City FC victory could lift the club to 10th in the Eastern Conference, but that would still leave it a point below the playoff line, which shows how narrow the margin remains heading into Wednesday.
Atlanta has leaned on Miguel Almirón again this season, and the numbers explain why. He leads the club with a combined 14 goals and assists after returning to MLS following his stint with Newcastle United in the Premier League, and after he also took part in the FIFA World Cup this summer. He set up Atlanta's opening goal against the Chicago Fire at the weekend, driving in from the left before slipping a through ball for Tomás Jacob.
New York City FC has its own recent reminder of how late a goal can change the feel of a season. Jonny Shore scored one of the latest goals in club history in Orlando, and that finish moved past Tayvon Gray's goal against Philadelphia as the latest in an MLS regular-season game. With Citi Field again serving as the stage, the venue carries the memory of many good nights for New York City FC, and this one arrives with far more at stake than a routine home date.
Both clubs still have a route into the postseason, but neither can afford to waste one of the final three matches. Wednesday's result will not settle the race, yet it can sharpen it, and for New York City FC the bigger question is no longer whether it can stay alive — it is whether it can do enough to climb before the schedule runs out.
