NYCFC need to bounce back at ‘home’ game

On New York City FC’s schedule, it appears as a “home game” but there’s nothing homelike about playing a game in Connecticut.

Thanks to a scheduling fiasco with the Yankees, NYCFC (51 points) were forced out of their previously schedule home game at Yankee Stadium. Now, the team will host the Houston Dynamo at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., on Saturday (3 p.m.; UniMas) — not within the five boroughs or even in the state of New York, but 110 miles away from The Bronx.

Considering only tickets in the first-tier on the TV side of the field are available for purchase should tell how many fans are expected to attend. NYCFC changed its routine by training at Rentschler Field on Friday and spending the night in East Hartford to better acclimate themselves. It’s an important game to get right, especially with just five games remaining in the season.

“We get to the point where every point or win would be really im- portant,” coach Patrick Vieira said. “It’s good to have players back and we just have to keep playing the way we know we can and try to manage the game a little bit better. I’m happy with the way we’ve been playing lately. We played some very good football [and] created a lot of chances so we just have to keep going.”

Earning just one point from their past two matches isn’t ideal, but it was almost expected. Recent injuries made an already bare roster look miserable. The drop in form allowed Toronto FC to all but run away with the Supporters’ Shield, and has also given life to the Chicago Fire and red-hot Atlanta United, who have crept back near the second spot in the Eastern Conference, which guarantees a firstround bye in the playoffs.

With just three points between them and Chicago, NYCFC is starting to look healthy again. Versatile players Mikey Lopez and Ethan White are available to play Saturday, as is wingback Ronald Matarrita, who has missed more than two months with a fractured foot.