New York City FC are flying up the Eastern Conference standings: Building off of an impressive 3-1 win away vs the Chicago Fire, the Pigeons returned to the Boogie Down Bronx to win a thriller, dispatching the Columbus Crew 3-2 at Yankee Stadium.
The Crew applied intense pressure from the opening kickoff. They took the lead through a controversial penalty in the 37th minute, after Aiden O'Neill was judged to have brought down Crew striker Wissem Abou Ali in the box. Despite the Crew's rigid structure making things difficult for the NYC forward core, a fourth brace of the season from Hannes Wolf, plus a dramatic stoppage-time screamer from Julián Fernández, turned the tide for the Pigeons, locking up all three points.
New York City: 2.3 xG, 17 shots, 8 shots on target, 53.7% possession, 568 passes, 83.6% pass accuracy, 10 fouls, 7 corners, 3 saves
Columbus: 1.8 xG, 8 shots, 5 shots on target, 46.3% possession, 421 passes, 82% pass accuracy, 12 fouls, 3 corners, 5 saves
Goals:
• Columbus, Daniel Gazdag, 40' (PEN)
• New York City, Hannes Wolf, 45'+3'
• Columbus, Wissem Abou Ali, 60'
• New York City, Hannes Wolf, 73'
• New York City, Julián Fernández, 90'+4'
Attendance: 17,413
Hannes Wolf with the double
After scoring twice against Columbus on Wednesday, Hannes Wolf now has 11 goals and five assists on the season, tied for the most goal contributions in the squad alongside Alonso Martínez. It was the Austrian's fourth brace of the season, and it came at a critical juncture for New York City.
Hannes Wolf bundles in from close range to level the score for NYC. Cred: New York City FC
Down a goal and struggling to break through the Columbus Crew backline, Wolf's first strike was more positioning than anything else. Justin Haak got on the end of a half-cleared long-ball near the byline, before firing a cross across the face of the goal. Columbus keeper Patrick Schulte got a hand on the ball, but not enough to keep it from falling to Wolf, who tapped it into an open net from close range to bring life back into the Yankee Stadium crowd.
You have to give Haak his flowers, too. The center-back/defensive midfielder hybrid, who started this season with questions about how much he would feature for the team, now has a goal and three assists this year, starting all 29 MLS matches thus far. An impressive return for one of NYC's homegrown success stories.
Yet, the momentum didn't swing completely in NYC's favor. A 60th-minute header from Abou Ali gave Columbus the lead once again, completely deflating the atmosphere and putting NYC back in the hunt for another equalizer.
But when in doubt, look for The Wolf of Wall Street.
Hannes Wolf with an impressive volley to equalize again for NYC. Cred: New York City FC
Agustín Ojeda, who had been subbed into the match less than 10 minutes earlier, whipped in an impeccable ball that crossed over the defenders in the box only to be met by the swinging right boot of the Austrian winger, who bounced the strike past Schulte to make it 2-2. Wolf has produced a number of impressive goals in 2025, but this strike takes the cake.
With the cross bending behind the Austrian, Wolf did well to quickly adjust his body before firing past the Crew's keeper, sending the 17,000 fans in attendance into ecstasy.
Hannes Wolf now has 11 goals and five assists in all competitions for New York City FC in 2025, his highest goal-contribution tally in a single league campaign in his career to date by topping the 15 goal involvements he had for RB Salzburg in 2018-19.
Even more impressive, the Austrian is just the 10th player in New York City FC history to reach 10 or more goals in a single MLS season, joining the likes of Taty Castellanos, David Villa, and Santí Rodríguez. Not bad company at all.
Oliver Strand
Julián Fernández, take a bow
The conversation around Julián Fernández in 2025 has focused on the lack of goal contributions, given his minutes played. Where was the winger we saw arrive with such promise in 2023, when he scored twice in just 319 minutes?
Before his second-half cameo Wednesday night, Fernández had just two goals and four assists across 27 appearances in the MLS this season. Considering the Argentine started 14 of those matches, his return has been less than ideal. Yet, head coach Pascal Jansen continues to give the young winger opportunities to impress each week, and Fernández made the most of his latest chance.
Coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute to replace Maxi Moralez in midfield, Fernández provided a spark that was missing for the Pigeons on the night. His four key passes and two crosses put NYC in positions to threaten the Crew's goal, but his marquee moment came right at the death.
Ojeda, who already assisted Wolf for his second-half equalizer, created another massive NYC goal, driving forward in stoppage time before feeding a pass between the Columbus defensive lines. Seymour Reid and Fernández both ran onto it before the former backed off, leaving Fernández to take the strike on first time, bending it into the far corner past Schulte.
Cue the pandemonium
Wheeling away in celebration, the Argentine was shown a yellow card for ripping off his shirt, but he won't care — nor will his teammates, coaches, or fans. It was Fernández's first goal since bagging the winner in the 1-0 over FC Cincinnati on May 4th. Safe to say the 21-year-old was long overdue.
After the match, Julián reflected on his role with the squad, saying, "I'll always try to contribute as much as I can, whether I'm playing or coming off the bench. I try to give my all every single day. [...] Whenever I get the opportunity to come off the bench and contribute, I'm happy to do so."
Some players can find great difficulty in only getting minutes off the bench, but it's clear that Fernández's confidence has stuck with Jansen, whose confidence in him in return paid off dividends on a night the Pigeons needed a hero the most.
Hudson River Blue Staff
The Pigeons continue to climb the table
Despite embarking on what is a gauntlet of a final stretch of the MLS season, New York City FC continues to climb the Eastern Conference standings, with the club in a much different position than even just a few weeks ago.
With wins over Chicago and now Columbus, NYC jumps to 5th in the Eastern Conference on 50 points, level on points with 4th Place Nashville SC, and just three points behind Saturday's opponent, Charlotte FC, in 3rd. The Pigeons hold a game in hand over both as well.
NYC's 50 points in 2025 match the club's total points tally from 2024, with five matches still to play.
The Pigeons continue their home stretch with a matinee matchup vs Charlotte on Saturday, September 20th at 12:00 pm ET, before hosting Lionel Messi and Inter Miami for a highly-anticipated clash at Citi Field next Wednesday, September 24th.
If New York City can manage a win over Charlotte, then a home playoff berth could very well be on the cards, an incredible change of fate from the side that was languishing in 8th Place just a few weeks ago. But that's the glory of MLS soccer.
And if Wednesday's thriller taught New York City FC anything, it's that it ain't over until the final whistle blows.
• New York City, Julián Fernández, yellow card, poor sportsmanship, 90′+5'
Officials
• Referee: Sergii Boiko
• Assistant referees: Mike Nickerson, Eric Weisbrod
• Fourth official: Ricardo Montero
• VAR: Ismail Elfath
• Assistant VAR: Mark Allatin
