New York City FC head coach Pascal Jansen will be absent from the sideline for the team's upcoming match against the New England Revolution on Wednesday night at Citi Field. The club announced Monday that Jansen will be attending to "personal matters."
Jansen is expected to rejoin the team for their match against Real Salt Lake in Salt Lake City on Saturday. This marks the second time during Jansen's two-year tenure that assistant coach Mehdi Ballouchy will serve as acting head coach. Ballouchy also filled in for Jansen last June for one match due to similar personal reasons.
"Pascal is the head coach. Pascal is connected with us twice a day, every day, and will be connected with us live on game day. I don't think anything changes process-wise for us," Ballouchy stated during a pre-match press conference on Monday, emphasizing continuity in team operations. "I think it's more just trying to stay connected and get him as close to us and to the team as possible."
New York City FC has experienced a recent streak of three consecutive draws. Their last regular-season win was a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Fire on July 25 at Yankee Stadium. The team also had limited success during the Leagues Cup tournament, securing only one win outside of MLS regular-season play.