New York City FC 1-1 LAFC: 5 Thoughts

New York City FC opened their residency at the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational with a 1-1 draw with Los Angeles FC on a bright afternoon at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA.

This was NYCFC’s third preseason game of the year, but it was the first to be streamed live for the general public, and it gave us a sense of how this squad is shaping up with the season opener just two weeks away. Nico Fernández Mercau scored in the 49th minute to give New York City the lead. But an equalizer from Dénis Bouanga in the 88th minute evened the score.

While we shouldn’t read too much into the result and the lineup, it’s fair to say that this team are in need of a Major League Soccer-caliber striker if they are to compete again in the Eastern Conference.

Here are five thoughts about New York City’s 1-1 draw today.

1) No striker, no party

It’s no secret that NYCFC have a striker-sized hole in the lineup. With Alonso Martínez likely to be out until after the summer, and the deal to add Moussa Sylla from Schalke 04 in the rearview mirror, Head Coach Pascal Jansen opted to open the game with a 4-3-3 formation that saw Nico operating as a False 9.

True, it paid dividends in the second half, when Nico scored NYCFC’s only goal of the game. (More on that below.) But it was a labored first half, when New York City’s near-best Starting XI had trouble dominating a heavily-rotated LAFC: It was boys against men for the first 45 minutes, and the men failed to score.

More to the point, NYCFC’s First Team (stop me if you heard this before) weren’t clinical in their finishing. An attack featuring Hannes Wolf on the left and Agustín Ojeda on the right created a fair number of chances, but simply couldn’t produce much quality in front of goal.

Where was Talles Magno, who played as a No 9 against Austin FC last week? It’s unclear if he remained on the bench, or even dressed for the game. And to think that last year Jansen had too many strikers, and was experimenting with a striker partnership between Martínez and Mounsef Bakrar.

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2) Keaton Parks is back

Keaton Parks was back in the Starting XI, and he looked good. It’s been a minute: The midfielder ended his 2025 season last May, eventually undergoing his third surgery in five years to address blood flow issues.

As commentator Glenn Crooks pointed out in the broadcast, Parks was uncomfortable while playing in the Coachella Valley Invitational last year — what was described as foot discomfort then was later revealed to be a larger problem. But he looked sharp in his 65′ on the field as he works his way back to match fitness.

Welcome back, Big Bird.

3) Nico gets the job done

New York City’s lone goal came from Nico in the 49th minute, who chested down a lofted pass from Maxi Moralez, shook off four defenders, then beat the goalkeeper and a fifth defender to find the back of the net.

It was a nice goal to see, but you have to think that Nico couldn’t work the same magic against LAFC’s starting back line.

4) Cooper Flax to the First Team?

Jansen brought on just four substitutes: Seymour Reid, Maximo Carrizo, Cooper Flax, and Strahinja Tanasijević. Of those, Flax was the only unfamiliar face.

The 21-year-old Flax signed a Homegrown contract with the club last December, joining New York City from Wake Forest University. As we reported in our 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational Preview, Flax came into preseason as a dark horse candidate to ascend to the First Team. Flax was the captain and Most Valuable Player at Forest, and was named to the 2025 First Team All-ACC.

Could he follow in the footsteps of Jonny Shore, who played his way onto the First Team at last year’s invitational? Or Malachi Jones, who did it the year before? It’s impossible to judge from his 25-plus minutes today, but the fact that he earned game time from Jansen is notable.

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5) Injuries, missing players

Once again, Kevin O’Toole started in the midfield and Nico Cavallo at left-back. This seems less a tactical overhaul than Jansen covering for Shore, who seems to be recovering from a minor injury, Aiden O’Neill, who didn’t dress for the game but who (according to Crooks) could be ready for the next friendly on Saturday, and Kai Trewin, who reportedly is now with the team although his visa stats hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Also revealed by Crooks in the broadcast: Andrés Perea is ahead of Jones in recovering from their respective injuries, although he gave no indication when either might return.

Talles Magno was nowhere to be seen. Ditto forward Arnau Farnos, a 2025 MLS SuperDraft pick (third round, #84 overall) who is on the preseason roster, and who is another dark horse candidate to see playing time this tournament.

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New York City FC 1-1 LAFC | 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational

New York City FC 1-1 LAFC | Full Replay