NYCFC gives up late goal to draw with CF Montréal and officially miss playoffs

It was a beautiful and spooky day in Queens when New York City FC played their final home match of the Major League Soccer regular season. The Boys in Blue welcomed CF Montréal, and fans desperately wanted to see them win. A win would keep any postseason hope alive, as it also depended on other results. But regardless of making the playoffs, a win at home would at least give fans something to celebrate.

But did NYCFC finally beat Montréal after four straight losses to the Canadian side and give fans a wonderful Fan Appreciation Day and Halloween? This is 2026, so the answer is no. The losing streak came to an end, but the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

This was not the team’s best game by any means, but they should have held on to their lead and won. The frustration of watching a talented team continue to drop points makes the fact that the season is almost over kind of a good thing.

Oh, because it is official. NYCFC is not making the playoffs. The Columbus Crew won their match, so that means the Boys in Blue will play their last game next week. The fact that they could not get that win at home in front of the fans is reason enough that they do not deserve to make the playoffs.

NYCFC cannot get the win on Halloween

Like the Atlanta United FC game on Wednesday, NYCFC did not have the best start to the game. They were a little better, but that threat in front of the goal was not there. There was also a lack of excitement.

In fact, NYCFC did not register their first shot until the 30th minute. Andrés Perea’s shot off a Nicolás Fernández Mercau free kick went over the bar. Alas, the offense was missing, and despite Talles Magno providing a spark against Atlanta, neither he nor anyone else could get anyone going in the final third.

At least, that was until the Pigeons earned a little bit of luck. 17-year-old goalkeeper Samsy Keita tried to play out from the back. The problem was that he gave the ball right to Fernández Mercau, who immediately picked out Perea. The midfielder, who had the lone shot so far, finally secured NYCFC’s first shot on target in the 41st minute, sending the ball into the left side of the goal.

His quick touch put NYCFC ahead, and he also secured the first goal against Montréal since July 2024.

Again, Montréal might be in last place, but they have been problematic for the Pigeons. And that fear that the day would not end with three points was alive and well when the Canadian side was given a free kick early in the second half. Alexis Sánchez took the free kick, and Matt Freese had to leap to forcibly push the ball away from the goal.

That big-time save was critical at the time because, truthfully, that is the type of shot that would have ended in the back of the net.

Meanwhile, the next-best chance for NYCFC came in the 67th minute. Luighi, who came on for Magno, broke some opposition ankles to get a shot off. Keita had other ideas and stopped the ball from sneaking into the goal.

But the Pigeons struggled to find that second goal, and the Canadian side continued to threaten Freese and the defense. The visitors struggled to be clinical in front of the goal as well. At least, that was the case until stoppage time.

A giveaway by NYCFC created an offensive chance for Montréal, and the ball eventually made its way to Daniel Ríos. He was not properly defended, and this allowed the player to curl the ball into the goal to level the game. In other words, it was a typical thing to happen to the Queens team in 2026.

Looking at the last few seasons, it is actually remarkable how CF Montréal turned the series around. NYCFC used to dominate, but for some reason, they cannot seem to beat the Canadian side. It is like someone put a curse on the Pigeons. This used to be almost a guaranteed win, especially when Montréal was having a bad season, like this year. Instead, the Queens team failed to get the win, and this ended in a draw.

And again, NYCFC has officially been eliminated from postseason contention. Of course, most fans believed that would be the outcome. But they wanted a win at home. They wanted the team to at least be alive for one more week.

It is also awful that the Boys in Blue only won five games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. That is not acceptable. If this were the Sprint Season, then that would be okay, as there are only seven home matches. Ideally, the team will turn things around in the spring and win at least five of those games.

While there is one more game and NYCFC has nothing to play for, it might be smart to start some of the players who barely start on Decision Day. And perhaps some of the players who need to prove that they should remain with the club. Nevertheless, after a disappointing result, it is clear that the season of frustration will continue for at least one more week.

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