New York City FC player ratings are determined by you, the Hudson River Blue readers: Here are the NYCFC player ratings after the penalty shootout loss to Charlotte FC in Round One of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Lost opportunities, squandered moments: New York City ended Game 2 of the MLS Cup Playoffs in a scoreless draw, then lost to Charlotte on penalty kicks to even the series, and your ratings reflect the disappointing result. NYCFC weren't up to the moment, but the Starting XI earned a surprisingly strong 6.8 average rating from our readers.
Credit goes to the defense, who were on their game. Matt Freese (7.6 rating) made three saves to log his third consecutive clean sheet against Charlotte, then saved Ashley Westwood's penalty in the shootout to give NYCFC the advantage — there's a reason why he's this game's Player of the Match. And as Mark Radigan pointed out in his Game Recap, the entire back line put in a shift: Raul Gustavo (7.0) completed more passes than anyone on the field, Tayvon Gray (7.0) completed the most tackles and drew three fouls, while Thiago Martins (7.3) won 100% of his duels, made 10 clearances, and committed zero fouls.
Bonus: Raul Gustavo and Thiago Martins converted their penalties, as did Justin Haak. The NYCFC defense went three-for-three in the shootout.
Matthew Mangam
The lowest rating of the night belongs to Head Coach Pascal Jansen (4.8), whose decision to stick with the same lineup and formation that beat Charlotte last week let him down. Charlotte's Dean Smith won the battle of the head coaches this round: He adjusted, Jansen didn't.
Note: FotMob ratings are in parentheses.
Alonso Martínez (6.3) – 6.3
Nico Fernández Mercau, off 82' (7.5) – 7.1
Andrés Perea (7.1) – 6.4
Maxi Moralez, off 67' (6.7) – 6.4
Aiden O'Neill (7.5) – 6.8
Justin Haak (7.6) – 6.7
Kevin O'Toole, off 67' (7.0) – 6.5
Tayvon Gray (7.3) – 7.0
Raul Gustavo (8.1) – 7.3
Thiago Martins (7.8) – 7.0
Matt Freese (8.3) – 7.6
