New York City FC head coach Pascal Jansen hailed his side’s defensive strength amid their three-game winning streak in MLS.

NYCFC have defeated FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC, who are second and third in the Eastern Conference respectively, in their previous two games following a 4-3 win over FC Dallas.

Only the Philadelphia Union (26) have conceded fewer goals than NYCFC (30) in the East, and the latter were boosted in the last game by the return of their captain Thiago Martins.

Jansen believes their defensive aggressiveness is the key to continuing their winning run ahead of their next game against D.C. United.

“That is one of our qualities as a team. That is what defines us. Being on top of things, being aggressive and switched on,” said Jansen after their 1-0 win over Cincinnati.

“That was a part of our focus and a part of our plan against Cincinnati, and they [the players] did it quite well and it helped us get to a good level in the game and build from there.

“Thiago is our captain, a huge piece of our team. It is a big thumbs up to the medical staff for allowing Thiago to play 90 minutes after coming back from surgery just four weeks ago.

“It helped us, like I said he is a huge part of our team.”

D.C. are currently bottom of the East, with their last league win coming on May 31 against Cincinnati.

They have, however, drawn their previous two fixtures, including a 1-1 draw to Leagues Cup finalists Inter Miami.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New York City FC – Alonso Martinez

Martinez has caught the eye for NYCFC this season, leading the club with 14 goals.

It took Martinez 52 league matches to become the third player in NYCFC history with 30 goals. It took David Villa 48 games to hit that mark and Valentin Castellanos 83 matches.

D.C. United – Jackson Hopkins

Hopkins has scored D.C.’s lone goal in each of the team's last two matches.

If he scores against NYCFC, he would become the youngest D.C. player (21 years, 60 days on Saturday) to score in three straight league matches, besting Alecko Eskardarian’s record of 21 years and 360 days.

MATCH PREDICTION – NEW YORK CITY FC WIN

D.C. are winless in their last 11 matches (drawn three, lost eight), their fourth single-season winless streak of more than 10 games in league play since the beginning of 2013. That is the most by any MLS team in that time.

NYCFC have not drawn any of their last 19 home matches in all competitions, a streak that began in October 2024.

Every other MLS team has had at least two draws at home in 2025 in all competitions.

NYCFC have just one loss (eight wins, two draws) in their 11 home matches against D.C. United (all in the regular season).

NYCFC have also outscored D.C. 29-10 in those matches, while scoring multiple goals in five of the last six meetings.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New York City FC – 64.0%

Draw – 19.2%

D.C. United – 16.8%