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After 34 games, the regular season is officially over. Now, New York City FC and the other fortunate teams that made the postseason are competing in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Round One Best-of-3 series will see teams play at least two games, home and away, with a third one played at the higher seed if needed. For the Pigeons, since they finished the regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, they are playing Charlotte FC in the first round, who finished in fourth.
As many know, the Crown has been a thorn in NYCFC’s side since they joined Major League Soccer. The Bronx side has a 2-5-1 record in eight matches and has never won at Bank of America Stadium. The history makes the upcoming games slightly concerning. However, at least the Boys in Blue have the fact that they won the last meeting.
It is vital that NYCFC figures out how to win in North Carolina. Even if they win the home matchup, they need to win one of the road games. To do that, they need to score. Sure, they scored twice in the last fixture between the teams thanks to Alonso Martínez’s two penalty kicks. But since then, they have scored only once in three games against playoff teams.
In addition, it would be great for the Pigeons even to force a draw on the road. In the first round, if the 90 minutes end in a draw, then the match goes straight to a penalty shootout. Matt Freese, who has been a hero in the past against penalty kicks, especially for the USMNT, gives NYCFC that edge and confidence if any of the matches were to end in a penalty shootout. After all, they made the Conference Semifinals via that route in 2024.
How to watch the playoff game between NYCFC and Charlotte
Date
Time
6:45 PM ET, with an expected start at 6:55 PM ET
How to watch on TV and streaming
The MLS Season Pass via Apple TV for streaming and FS1 on TV
How to watch in person
Supporters would have to travel to Charlotte
How to listen
newyorkcityfc.com/radio or via the NYCFC app
How to follow
If NYCFC supporters cannot watch or listen to the game, then they can follow along via MLS Soccer’s timeline and NYCFC’s X account. Additionally, the club will post updates here and there on Facebook.
Final Notes
The only way NYCFC will win the first game of Round One is for the players to step up and play one of the best matches of the season. Some need to become heroes and others need to dig deep to ensure that Charlotte does not outscore them.