NYCFC Cruises By Chicago At Stadium

 

NYCFC and their fans celebrate Agustin Ojeda's goal that put them ahead 2-1. Photo by Jason Schott.

New York City Football Club made it 2-for-2 to start the second half of the MLS regular season with a resounding 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire in front of a raucous crowd of 27,419 at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night.

NYCFC moved into fifth place in the MLS Eastern Conference with a record of 7-4-6, with 25 points, just one behind Chicago's 26, as they fell to 8-2-6.

Nico Fernandez Mercau set the tone for the second straight match, as he scored an early goal, this time in the 11th minute. (on Wednesday night in Columbus, he scored in the seventh)

NYCFC put together a rush that started before midfield, with Talles Magno dropping it on the left side to Nico Cavallo, who sent it towards the box, and it was kicked out by Chicago captain Jack Elliott. 

The thing is though it slowed down perfectly for Fernandez Mercau to tee up a perfect left-footed shot from just outside the box to bury it for his 12th goal of the season, most on NYCFC and second in MLS. He has now scored in three straight games overall.

Chicago tied it in the 21st minute on a goal by Jack Waterman.

It only took NYCFC eight minutes to re-take the lead.

In the 29th minute, Malachi Jones was taking it upfield, but as he hit the center line with a couple Chicago players on him, he sent it back to Andres Perea, who carried it into Chicago territory.

Perea then sent it ahead to a streaking Agustin Ojeda, who was coming down the right side, and he sent a strike that just snuck inside the post on the left side of the net, a perfect shot that made it 2-1 NYCFC.

Ojeda now has 10 goals across all competitions, and he has now scored in two straight games. He has five goals and five assists, for 10 points, in MLS play.

NYCFC's third goal could best be described as a "shish kebab," a great line from the movie "The Damned United."

In the 41st minute, NYCFC approached the Chicago zone, and it was so tactical in nature, could see it develop in slow motion.

Fernandez Mercau intercepted a Chicago pass at the center line, and he dropped it off to Magno on the left side, and he dropped it off to Perea, who sent it to Ojeda coming down the right side, just as they did on the goal in the 29th. But, this time, Ojeda sent it back to the center of the box, where Jones was waiting, and he buried it to make it 3-1.

It was Jones' first MLS goal since he fractured his leg in a game against Orlando City SC in June 2024, and he last scored in May of that season. He also earned his first assist of the Year on the Ojeda goal.

NYCFC Head Coach Pascal Jansen said of Jones making his way back after such a devastating injury, "If you think about what he has been through over the past two years, it has been a blessing for him just to be on the pitch. To then score a goal is the cherry on top.

"He is working very hard to stay available, become more robust, get closer to playing 90 minutes and still maintain a very high standard throughout the game. Personally, and as a team, we are so happy for him. To have him back on the pitch and see him enjoying the game is great. The tap-in is something we talk about a lot because being in the right spot can give a guy like Mali at least five extra goals per season, especially with the run of play that led to that goal. We are very happy for him."

That would be the score at halftime, and it gave NYCFC a comfortable enough lead for when Chicago brought on Robert Lewandowski, who just joined the Fire after a long tenure at Barcelona.

Even though Chicago controlled possession throughout the second half, it never felt like they were a threat to tie it.

This was the 30th victory across all competitions for Jansen in his two years at the helm of NYCFC, and his 15th victory in home games. Last year, he took NYCFC to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.