NYCFC falls to Charlotte FC via a penalty kick shootout, forcing Game 3

On a windy and chilly Saturday afternoon, New York City FC and Charlotte FC met at Yankee Stadium for the second match of the Round One Best-of-3 series of the MLS Cup Playoffs.  The Bronx side won the first match, securing their first win in Charlotte since the Crown joined Major League Soccer.  The goal was to win the second game and earn a spot in the Conference Semifinals. 

In the end, it was 0-0 at the end of regulation, and NYCFC and Charlotte had to resort to a penalty kick shootout.  It was the visitors who won it, winning 7-6.  As such, a third game is needed.

Going with the same lineup, Pascal Jansen’s players continued to utilize their versatility by playing in different positions throughout the match.  This aided the Pigeons offensively in the first half of the first game, but eventually Charlotte became more of a threat in the second half.  This time, with NYCFC maintaining more of the possession in the first 45 minutes, the attack was more even. It was the second half that saw NYCFC outshoot the Crown completely.

The issue at hand was that the home side still could not find the back of the net.  This is a little concerning since they have struggled to score multiple goals against playoff teams at the end of the year. They have not done so since they last faced Charlotte FC.

NYCFC could not win at home against Charlotte

From the opening whistle, the crowd willed NYCFC to score and win the first round.  It was not easy, though, for Charlotte defended better against Jansen’s tactics.  Plus, the smaller pitch could have influenced the play of both teams.

Nevertheless, the Pigeons controlled most of the possession of the first half and outshot the Crown eight to six.  Both had one shot on target, but arguably the visitors had the better chances.  Two shots hit the crossbar and thankfully went out of play, including a brilliant shot outside of the box from Ashley Westwood.

Meanwhile, the best opportunity from NYCFC came from a header by Raul Gustavo via a corner kick. He knocked the ball down, but Kristijan Kahlina had to swiftly react in the 40th minute to prevent a goal.  Arguably, it was the best offensive chance from the Brazilian center-back since joining the Boys in Blue over the summer.

Then, the second half was a little similar to the first game, with Charlotte coming out of the locker room with more intensity.  But the Crown did not control the entire half, and NYCFC was definitely better this time around.  Still, the home team was initially lackluster with clinical shots, and were not as threatening as they should have been.

But substitutions in the 67th minute changed things.  Hannes Wolf and Agustín Ojeda came on for Maxi Moralez and Kevin O’Toole, and the offense became alive again for the remainder of the half.  More time was spent in and around the box, and this led to more opportunities. 

Ojeda tried to put the ball across the goal, hoping a teammate could tap the ball in.  Kahlina dropped down to push the ball away, for Wolf could have pounced on it in the 69th minute.  Then, in the 73rd minute, NYCFC had a free kick, and Nicolás Fernández Mercau sent the ball into the box.  Thiago Martins headed the ball toward the goal, but the Charlotte keeper again had a crazy save, going down to prevent a goal.  Andrés Perea had a solid shot right after, but the ball went just wide.

The Bronx side continued to attack and wanted to find the back of the net badly.  The visitors defended well, and the stronger work in the final third was not producing the most important statistic of the game.

Time kept ticking by, though, and Charlotte was fighting for their lives.  They had a few more chances as well, but it felt like a penalty kick shootout was inevitable. 

And as it was written, the match ended in a scoreless draw and went into the shootout.  NYCFC scored their first three penalties, taken by Alonso Martínez, Aiden O’Neill, and Thiago Martins.  Matt Freese even made a save against Westwood, but the issue that ultimately led to the loss was Julián Fernández’s penalty kick.  He sent the ball wide, and there was this feeling that things could spiral.

Freese was not at his best either, for there were a few more kicks he should have saved.  As such, the shootout ended 7-6, for Ojeda, who took a weak shot, saw his penalty kick saved. 

This is not ideal, for the Pigeons now have to return to Charlotte.  The likelihood of winning two games in a row in North Carolina is extremely slim.  Doubt is easily creeping in.  Moreover, the question of taking out players who would probably be more comfortable in the shootout, like Moralez and Fernández Mercau, was certainly a decision by Jansen.

Clearly, the head coach could not tactically beat Charlotte this time around.  He will have a lot of work to do if he wants to see NYCFC into the next round.