Charlotte FC is NYCFC's kryptonite as Pigeons lose fifth of seven matchups

The four-game road trip began on Saturday for New York City FC with a stop in North Carolina to take on Charlotte FC. The players knew they had a steep challenge ahead of them despite being ahead in the standings of the other blue side. But before the match, the Pigeons only won once against the Crown, and that was at home. Sadly, that remained true once the final whistle blew, for they lost 2-0.

Notably, the Boys in Blue switched up the Starting XI compared to the win against Toronto FC.  Tayvon Gray and Kevin O’Toole were back in the lineup, meaning that Pascal Jansen opted to go with his traditional fullbacks on both sides of the defense.  In addition, Matt Freese was back between the sticks since the CONCACAF Gold Cup is over.

The lineup played well, but they still allowed two goals.  In addition, despite growing into the game offensively, they could not find the back of the net.  Arguably, NYCFC outplayed the opposition in the attack, with the exception of the goals.  It stings that they could not score when they should have. 

Plus, the match began late due to storms and lightning in the area.  As such, NYCFC and Charlotte did not begin playing until 8:58 PM.  That was not too influential on the game.

NYCFC is held goalless in Charlotte

It was Charlotte who struck first in the 14th minute.  Gray failed to block a pass from Wilfried Zaha, who found Pep Biel in the box.  Biel then sent the ball in front of the goal, and Idan Toklomati scored with an easy tap-in.  The Pigeons were a little sleepy since they thought a pass before the goal was offside.  In the end, they were wrong, and this allowed the goal to occur.

Meanwhile, it did take some time for NYCFC to become threatening in the final third.  For a moment, it felt like this would be one of those fixtures that the Bronx side lacked a solid offensive effort.  Instead, they grew into the game and were taking control by the end of the first half, constantly attacking the home team.

One aspect that really changed the play on the pitch was taking out Andrés Perea and putting on Julián Fernández at the start of the second half.  This switch, while risky, allowed NYCFC to attack more and control the possession.  In fact, they mostly dominated the second half.  It felt like a goal was on the way, but alas, it never arrived. 

Rather, Charlotte got their insurance goal with a thrilling golazo from Kerwin Vargas in the 81st minute.  It was a dagger in the souls of the Pigeons.  They put in all of that work in the second half to end up allowing another goal and failing to score one of their own.

Of course, to make matters worse, NYCFC had 15 shots and four on target.  The Crown had seven shots with three on target.  The visitors also had some great strikes.  But the home side defended well enough to keep them goalless. 

No matter how a team plays, losses are never easy.  But it feels like Charlotte FC is kryptonite at this point to the Boys in Blue.  Out of the seven meetings, they have now lost five times.  Some might have thought that the first win last season would change things, but it did not.

Now, NYCFC is starting their road trip with a loss.  This was another disappointing one, for they should have won based on their play.  Yet, a team cannot win without goals.