All the Pigeons needed to do on Saturday to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the MLS Cup Playoffs was the same they did 11 times during the regular season: Win at home.
Instead, New York City FC lacked the clinical edge needed to get the job done, drawing 0-0 vs Charlotte FC in regulation time before losing on penalties, 6-7. Now the series will return to Charlotte for a decisive Game 3 to be played on Friday, November 7.
Saturday's afternoon contest featured two sides who forgot their shooting boots in the locker room. The two teams combined for 24 shots, with eight on target, but neither goalkeeper was particularly troubled by what they faced.
Yet, Game 2 was ultimately decided by who could find the back of the net the most from the penalty spot, as Charlotte overcame an early save from Matt Freese to best New York City after seven rounds.
Head Coach Pascal Jansen and his squad will be kicking themselves for not finding a way to score at home to win in regulation time, and letting the series return to Bank of America Stadium.
New York City: 1.51 xG, 16 shots, 5 shots on target, 54% possession, 376 passes, 82% pass accuracy, 16 fouls, 6 corners, 3 saves
Charlotte: 0.69 xG, 8 shots, 3 shots on target, 46% possession, 300 passes, 77% pass accuracy, 13 fouls, 2 corners, 5 saves
Attendance: 19,051
Attack goes ice cold
A recurrent topic this season has been the lack of consistency of New York City's frontline. That hasn't changed now that we're in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Saturday was an opportunity for Jansen's crew to blitz a desperate Charlotte inside the stadium where the Pigeons have seen the most success in 2025. But New York City were left scoreless despite finishing the game with an xG of 1.51 according to official Major League Soccer stats, and an xG of 1.85 according to g+ GameFlow. Once again, NYCFC were sunk by an inability to take advantage of the chances they created.
Overall, NYC fired off 16 shots, with five hitting the target. But break the numbers down by halves, and the disparity is more glaring. The Pigeons took eight of their 16 shots in the first half, but just one single effort was on frame.
Alonso Martínez, the hero from Game 1, didn't register his first shot until the 50th minute. Though Martínez did convert his penalty in the shootout, the Costa Rican looked lost in regulation, left on an island as the midfield failed to penetrate the Charlotte backline with conviction. As a result, the Pigeon's most consistent source of goals managed just two shots all afternoon.
Nico Fernández, NYC's most dangerous player on the day, only managed two shots before being subbed off after 82 minutes. Whether the decision to hook the Argentine before an eventual penalty shootout was the right move or not is a conversation for another time. But in regulation, Nico did not boast the clinical finishing fans might have expected from a Designated Player on a $3.65 million salary.
Maxi Moralez was the most creative player on the pitch for NYC, creating three chances, but he only managed an expected assists rating of 0.22 xA. He played six passes into the final third and completed just one cross before being subbed off for Hannes Wolf in the 67th minute.
The final delivery or final strike failed the hosts every single time. There was even a point late in the second half where the home crowd pleaded with the Pigeons to shoot the ball, and do anything to test Kahlina. Yet, NYC couldn't outmatch the Croatian, in regulation or from the penalty spot.
Matthew Mangam
Oliver Strand
Defense earned the clean sheet (luck helped)
The story of the afternoon was how poor both sides looked in front of goal, considering just 25% of all shots taken hit the target on Saturday. Yet, that doesn't paint the whole story, at least for Charlotte.
While New York City failed to challenge Kahlina in goal, Charlotte will feel that this result could have been wrapped up before full-time. Both Harry Toffolo and Idan Toklomati had efforts miss the target from within eight yards of Freese's goal. Each of those attempts came as a result of poor marking, leaving the Charlotte players in space to strike.
Brandt Bronico and Ashley Westwood both had efforts hit the woodwork, with the latter scoring an absolute stunner if not for the far post.
NYCFC bailed out by the woodwork | Courtesy MLS and Apple TC
Credit where it's due, though. The NYCFC defense showed up today. Outside of two brief moments of near-calamity, New York City's backline kept the hosts in this game, at least until the shootout.
Raul Gustavo had a strong afternoon with the ball at his feet, completing more passes (56) than anyone on the pitch. He also contributed with five successful long balls and a dribble completion rate of 100%. Not bad for a center back.
Justin Haak and Tayvon Gray both had performances to be content with as well. Gray completed the most tackles on the day (11) and drew three fouls. Haak completed 90% of his passes, 100% of his dribbles, and 75% of his duels.
But it was Thiago Martins who was the strongest defender on the day for New York City. The Brazilian won 100% of his duels, along with 10 clearances, eight recoveries, and zero fouls committed.
Not to mention, the best chance of the game for the Pigeons, a bullet header off a Nico freekick, forcing Kahlina into a split-second save at close range midway through the second half.
Kahlina denies Thiago Martins. Cred: MLS
While all four would feel content with a hard-fought clean sheet vs Charlotte on a midweek night in July, the clean sheet only saw the contest head to penalties, where the match was then taken out of their hands.
