NYCFC Hit by Injury Crisis Before New England Clash: Seven Ruled Out, Thiago Martins in Doubt

New York City FC will head into their next MLS test against the New England Revolution with Pascal Jansen once again forced to navigate a severely depleted roster.

The official MLS player status report lists seven NYCFC players as unavailable: Alonso Martínez, Aiden O’Neill, Kai Trewin, Maxi Moralez, Arnau Farnós, Drew Baiera and Hannes Wolf. All seven are dealing with leg injuries. Central defender Thiago Martins is questionable, meaning Jansen could be missing another experienced member of his spine when City face one of the Eastern Conference’s stronger teams. 

The timing makes the situation particularly difficult. New England enters the matchup sitting third in the Eastern Conference at 10-7-3, while NYCFC is sixth at 7-8-5. The Revolution are also coming off a 3-0 victory over D.C. United, adding another layer of difficulty to an already challenging road assignment. 

For Jansen, therefore, this is about much more than replacing individual names. The absences affect virtually every area of the team, from central defense and midfield leadership to creativity and finishing.

Alonso Martínez and Maxi Moralez Leave Major Holes in NYCFC’s Attack

Among the absentees, Alonso Martínez and Maxi Moralez may create the most obvious offensive problems.

Martínez provides a direct threat through his movement, acceleration and ability to attack space behind a defensive line. Without him, NYCFC loses one of its most natural finishers and a player capable of stretching opponents vertically.

Moralez’s absence creates a different problem.

Even at this stage of his career, the veteran remains one of New York’s most intelligent possession players. His ability to receive between the lines, control tempo and connect midfield with the final third gives Jansen a type of creativity that is difficult to replicate.

Hannes Wolf being unavailable further reduces the attacking options, meaning other players will have to accept larger responsibilities.

That could increase the importance of Nicolás Fernández Mercau, who has been one of NYCFC’s major attacking contributors this season. He enters the New England matchup with 13 goals and two assists, according to Associated Press data. 

New York will also need greater production from its remaining wide players and attacking midfielders. With several established options unavailable, the challenge will be maintaining enough movement around the penalty area without becoming overly dependent on one creator.

The situation may force Jansen to simplify portions of the attack: quicker transitions, more direct running and an increased emphasis on exploiting space rather than trying to dominate every possession.

Against a New England team positioned near the top of the conference, efficiency will become particularly important.

Thiago Martins’ Availability Could Decide How Much Jansen Must Change

The biggest remaining uncertainty surrounds Thiago Martins.

MLS lists the experienced defender as questionable with a leg issue. His availability could have a significant impact on how Jansen structures the team, especially with Kai Trewin already ruled out.

Losing both would remove significant experience from the defensive unit and potentially force NYCFC to use another unfamiliar combination at center back.

The midfield is hardly healthier.

Aiden O’Neill is unavailable, while the absence of Moralez removes another player accustomed to controlling difficult moments. The cumulative effect is what makes the injury situation so significant: this is not one position being hit by injuries, but several interconnected areas of Jansen’s system.

New England has injury concerns of its own. Leo Campana, Ilay Feingold and Luca Langoni have been listed out ahead of the match. But NYCFC’s list remains considerably deeper.

Jansen will therefore need contributions from players who may normally occupy smaller roles.

That can occasionally create an opportunity. Younger or less-used players receive meaningful minutes, competition increases and a team can discover solutions that were not part of the original plan.

But the immediate objective is much simpler: remain competitive in a difficult Eastern Conference matchup despite missing a substantial portion of the roster.

NYCFC has enough talent to cause New England problems, but the margin for error will be smaller. Protecting the defense, managing transitions and finding attacking production without Martínez, Moralez and Wolf will be central to the game plan.

And if Thiago Martins cannot play, Jansen’s challenge becomes harder still.

The match will be available through MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, as part of the league’s 2026 coverage.