In a do-or-die game at Bank of America Stadium, New York City FC defeated Charlotte FC 3-1 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
A late first-half goal from Nico Fernández and an early second-half goal from Alonso Martínez gave NYCFC a 2-0 lead, but things took a turn for the worse as Andrés Perea was carted off the field after suffering a gruesome ankle injury.
Charlotte cut the deficit to one with a goal from Idan Toklomati — his first in six games — in the 81st minute, but New York City held on and put the game to bed with a late goal from Nico Fernández to make it 3-1. They will face the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on November 22 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.
Here are five thoughts from a thrilling playoff match.
Hudson River Blue Staff
1. Nico Fernández comes up big
As expected, the crowd of 34,473 at Bank of America Stadium did not disappoint. It was a raucous environment in North Carolina, with Charlotte playing their most important game in club history.
Charlotte were scoreless in this series, but you wouldn't think that from watching the opening 15 minutes of the game. The hosts pressed hard and brought the intensity, as New York City hung on by a thread. Justin Haak heroically blocked three shots, and Thiago Martins got his body in the way of a shot as well.
NYCFC began to settle into the match and slow the tempo down, but Charlotte were close to taking the lead in the 36th minute after winning possession in its own half. A nice build-up play led to Brandt Broncio alone with Matt Freese, but he skied his effort over the crossbar.
Charlotte thought they would have the last chance of the first half courtesy of a long throw-in, but Andrés Perea headed the danger away and to Nico Fernández, who used his pace to beat Charlotte left-back Harry Toffolo to the ball. The Argentine Designated Player dribbled all the way from his own half to Charlotte's final third, finishing his run by beating goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina with a perfect far-post finish — a huge goal against the run of play.
Nico Fernández with a great playoff goal | Courtesy New York City FC
2. Alonso Martínez delivers again
Although New York City led 1-0 to begin the second half, the game was far from over.
When NYCFC desperately needed a second goal for some breathing room, who else but Alonso Martínez would come up clutch.
When a Wilfried Zaha shot was blocked by Aiden O'Neill and deflected to Maxi Moralez, the No 10 played a long ball forward to Martínez. The Costa Rican beat Nathan Byrne to the ball and poked it under Kahlina to score his 19th goal of the season and fifth career goal against Charlotte.
Alonso Martínez with another goal against Charlotte | Courtesy New York City FC
As for Moralez, the assist was his team-leading eighth of the season and his first playoff assist since the 2021 MLS Cup victory against the Portland Timbers.
3. Andrés Perea suffers a gruesome injury
But New York City's night got worse late in the second half, as Perea suffered a gruesome leg injury after competing for a header. He landed awkwardly and seemed to snap his right leg, needing to be carted off the field.
With the turf pitch at Bank of America Stadium, injuries like this are unfortunately much more common. Tayvon Gray was also affected by the conditions of playing on the hard surface, going down for a few minutes in the first half, but was able to finish the game.
Perea has been extremely important for NYCFC this season, starting in the last 21 games in all competitions. He's the side's best player in the air and is a threat offensively.
New York City will dearly miss Perea, who is expected to be out for an extended period of time.
4. NYCFC clamp down on Charlotte
After a rocky start to the first half, NYCFC tightened up defensively and kept Charlotte quiet.
Gray put in a shift, keeping Zaha quiet for the second straight game. The star winger was limited to three blocked shots, one shot off target, and was dispossessed once.
Haak and Thiago Martins combined for 26 defensive contributions, 16 clearances, five interceptions, and nine recoveries. The center-back duo had a phenomenal night, and although Charlotte scored a late goal, they kept New York City alive in a fierce playoff match against a dangerous offense.
Andrew Leigh
5. Eastern Conference semifinals await
For the second consecutive season, NYCFC has advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals. New York City will face Philadelphia on November 22 at Subaru Park in Chester, PA.
The Union will be the clear favorites. After an outstanding regular season, Philadelphia won their second-ever Supporters' Shield and entered the playoffs as favorites to lift the MLS Cup. Philadelphia squeaked out a penalty-shootout win against the Chicago Fire in Game 1 of Round One, but outright dominated Game 2 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
NYCFC defeated Philadelphia 1-0 at Citi Field on April 12, but lost the reverse fixture 1-0 in Chester, Pennsylvania, on October 4.
New York City also lost their most recent playoff match at Subaru Park 3-1 in the 2022 Eastern Conference Final, but won there dramatically the year before en route to lifting the 2021 MLS Cup.
NYCFC fans don't need to be reminded of what happened last year, when the team embarrassingly lost 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Citi Field in what was the first-ever Hudson River Derby playoff match.
Perhaps this year's Eastern Conference semifinal fixture is tougher, but after this series, New York City proved they can compete with anybody.
