As a coach with experience around the world, John Herdman is familiar with different venues.
However, this Saturday will be his first time at Yankee Stadium, where his strong and undefeated team will face winless New York City FC. Toronto FC The former Canada coach mentioned that he was looking forward to the narrow field of Yankee Stadium, comparing it to the fields in Hamilton and Edmonton where they hosted World Cup qualifying games.
He shared that he deliberately made fields narrower for certain matches in the past, so he has experience in getting the best out of his team on smaller fields. He also mentioned getting a scouting report from Portland Timbers coach Phil Neville.
Herdman was told that the pitch at Yankee Stadium is beautiful and plays well, but it requires readiness and adaptation due to its small size. Toronto FC has been training with that in mind, narrowing their practice fields this week.
He received a scouting report from Portland Timbers coach Phil Neville, who was briefly part of his Canadian coaching staff last year while between jobs.
Herdman mentioned that the team has been training with the philosophy of narrow fields in mind due to the small size of Yankee Stadium.
Toronto is facing growing injury concerns with some key players out, while there is hope that forward Deandre Kerr, who missed the first three games due to a calf issue, could make the bench.
NYCFC has had a tough start to the season with losses in their first three games, including a defeat to Portland where they conceded late in the game.
After the loss to Portland, New York coach Nick Cushing reported that there was a lot of anger in the team's dressing room.
Cushing mentioned that the team channeled their emotions into productive sessions to work on their development and strategy moving forward.
He remains optimistic about the team's performance and believes they have positive elements that will help them get results in the remaining games.
Cushing expressed confidence in the team's ability to secure points in future games, despite the disappointing results in the early part of the season.
In their first three games, New York had 30 attempted shots with only 10 on target, resulting in one goal scored by Santi Rodriguez in the loss to Portland.
Toronto had a strong start to the season with a draw and two wins, but their record at NYCFC's stadium is not as successful.
TFC, which had a poor defensive record last season, has yet to concede a goal this season, showcasing their improvement in defense.
Cushing acknowledged that Toronto will be a tough opponent due to their compact style of play, but he believes his team has the ability to overcome their defense.
Herdman noted that NYCFC is known for their intricate style of play but demonstrated a more direct approach in their previous game against Portland.
He said that everyone who watched was surprised by how straightforward they were. He thinks the coach is willing to change his usual style to get the result he wants, and he thought they played well in the first 45 minutes.
He added that they need to be prepared for the fact that the team may not play like they usually do because they just need to win.
Lorenzo Insigne, an Italian star who only scored four goals in 20 games last year, has already scored two goals for TFC, both of which were recognized as the best goals of the week in the MLS. TFC has had 28 shots, eight of which were on target, in their first three games.
James Sands, the defensive midfielder, is back for New York after serving a one-game suspension for a red card. Talles Magno, a young designated player from Brazil, is experiencing knee pain.
