New York City FC faced Charlotte FC away at Bank of America Stadium on Nov 7. Both teams have a win in this Best-of-3 series. This match will decide who heads to the MLS Cup semi-finals.
Both teams are impressive with their top-tier goalkeepers, as Charlotte FC has its 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Kristijan Kahlina in between the sticks, saving Charlotte and denying many of the goals that New York City FC could have scored during this best of 3 series. New York City FC has USMNT number one Matt Freese. He is one of the key players in New York City FC, becoming important to the rebuild of this squad after the departures of many of the players who won the MLS Cup in 2021.
Kickoff started as both teams knew what was at stake. Both teams did their best to score a goal. Not much has happened during the regular time of the first half. The referee has added 3 extra minutes of stoppage time. In the 46th minute, a throw-in by the Charlotte FC player came into play in New York City FC box, deflected off the defender and fell to Nicolas Fernandez. Fernandez headed to make a counterattack from his side of the field. He passed by two defenders. As he got close to the goal, it became a two-on-one situation. He shot and scored, giving the Boys in Blue a one-nil lead and closing the first half of this match.
The match resumed with New York City FC leading by one goal. In the 49th minute, a Charlotte FC player tried to shoot from outside the box but got deflected. Martinez headed for a run as he placed himself to receive a pass, got control of the ball and made the counterattack. The Charlotte FC defender did his best to slow down Martinez; nevertheless, Martinez shot and scored. The score was 2-0 and New York City was dominating the match. In the 80th minute, Charlotte’s midfield and forward slowly built their way to the box with their amazing passing, eventually crossing it in and scoring their first goal of the match. The score became 2-1. 90 minutes have passed, and 12 minutes of stoppage time were added to the game. In the 99th minute, Fernandez received the pass from Hannes Wolf. Nico made the run, shot and scored! The game ended 3-1. New York City FC will advance to the semi-finals of the MLS Cup, facing Supporter Shield Winner Philadelphia Union, after qualifying on Match 2 and defeating wild-card winners Chicago Fire in both Matches. In this part of the cup, there are no second chances as the finals inch closer. This rivalry needs no introduction. The Boys in Blue will play away at Philadelphia.
