New York City FC hosts Nashville SC this Friday, Sept. 4, as part of Matchday 23 of the 2026 Major League Soccer season.
The home team comes into this match needing points to climb the standings and avoid putting its participation in the upcoming playoffs at risk. At the same time, Nashville will look to maintain its dominant lead in the Eastern Conference.
Below, you have all the information you need ahead of this Friday’s MLS game.
Preview: New York City FC vs. Nashville SC
Kickoff: 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT @ Yankee Stadium, New York City, NY
How to watch live: Streaming on Apple TV
Pascal Jansen’s team is going through a period that has been more negative than positive, although in their last two matches they have been able to straighten things out a bit and earn two points after two consecutive draws. Before that, they had a run of four consecutive defeats, two in MLS and two in the Leagues Cup.
Their last match ended in a 1-1 draw against Toronto, with a goal from Nicolás Fernández in the 29th minute and a late goal from Daniel Salloi in the 70th minute that took away any hope of a victory. Before that, New York drew 1-1 against New England Revolution on Aug. 23, lost 2-1 to Cincinnati on Aug. 19, and fell 3-2 to Philadelphia Union on Aug. 16.
The two Leagues Cup matches we are referring to were against Cruz Azul, where they lost 2-1 in the second matchday on Aug. 9, and against Necaxa, where they also lost 2-1 in the third matchday on Aug. 13.
New York City currently sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 28 points after 22 matches. Although they are currently in a playoff spot, they are not far ahead of Toronto and D.C. United, for example, who have 25 points and sit in 10th and 11th place, respectively.
On the other hand, Nashville is experiencing a completely different situation, as they sit in first place in the Eastern Conference by a significant margin. They have 52 points after 22 matches, 10 points more than their closest pursuer, Inter Miami, with the same number of matches played.
Additionally, BJ Callaghan’s team is coming off an emphatic 4-0 victory over Cincinnati last Saturday, with goals from Sam Surridge in the 43rd minute, Hany Mukhtar in the 54th, Bryan Acosta in the 90th and Ahmed Qasem in the 90th with six minutes of stoppage time.
Before that, they were already on a run of three consecutive victories, defeating Columbus 3-2 on Aug. 22, New York Red Bulls 1-0 on Aug. 19, and LionelMessi’ss Inter Miami 4-1 on Aug. 15.
Players to Watch & Match Prediction
New York City’s main strength comes in the form of a versatile player who can play both in midfield and in attack, and we are obviously talking about Nicolás Fernández. The 26-year-old Argentine appeared on the scoresheet in the most recent match against Toronto and has 14 goals and three assists this season in MLS.
According to data from FotMob, Fernández has 0.68 goals per 90 minutes and an expected goals on target (xGOT) rate of 0.52 per 90 minutes. These aren’t crazy numbers, but given the club’s current situation, they’re certainly worth highlighting.
In Nashville’s case, it is impossible to mention just one player because we are talking about one of them having 13 goals, another having six assists and 10 goals, and another having nine assists and three goals. In that order, we are talking about Sam Surridge, Hany Mukhtar, and Cristian Espinoza. The three players are a lethal offensive weapon for the current conference leaders, and it is difficult to leave one of them out of this ranking of standout players.
We also have to talk about goalkeeper Brian Schwake, who has the highest save percentage in MLS this season at 78.2%, according to FotMob. He is also second in clean sheets with 10, behind only LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Frankly, despite New York improving in their last two matches, it does not seem like Nashville will be the team they return to the winning path against.
Match Prediction: NYCFC 0-3 Nashville
Manuel Meza is a writer for Hooligan Soccer. He is a distinguished digital content creator specializing in soccer and NHL writing, SEO, and podcast production. With a B.A. in Business Administration from Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora, Manuel has honed his expertise in news writing, copywriting, digital journalism, social media, and community growth. His prolific work, including over 600 articles for Athlon Sports, established him as a key contributor to their early soccer coverage. He notably led coverage of Sunderland for Sports Illustrated, elevating it to the network’s top soccer site. Manuel’s insights have also graced Yardbarker, Roundtable Sports, The Sporting News, Inter Miami News, and MX Futbol. As a former Site Expert at FanSided, he generated over one million pageviews in a single month and has hosted the official Spanish-language Paris Saint-Germain FanFest. Connect with Manuel on X, LinkedIn, and Muckrack for his expert analysis and engaging content. Manuel is dedicated to delivering high-quality, insightful content that captivates and informs.
