NYCFC: 3 things we learned from the 1-0 loss with Charlotte FC

New York City FC opened the 2024 MLS campaign on the road against Charlotte FC as they began their redemption season. There’s plenty to discuss about their performance, but the main thing to get out of it is their continued struggles to win away from home.  

Despite a good performance, NYCFC lacked finishing, with Mounsef Bakrar having one of his worst performances since joining the team, while Santiago Rodríguez failed to finish off his touches in the net. This resulted in a disappointing 1-0 loss at Bank of America Stadium.

Here are three things we learned from the match between NYCFC and Charlotte.  

Three things we learned from NYCFC's 1-0 defeat  

1. The defense needs work

The disconnect in the back line was crucial, with Charlotte jumping on those mistakes at all given chances. Thiago Martins looks off while Birk Risa made too many mistakes. Nick Cushing decided to start Mitja Ilenič over Tayvon Gray. The Slovenian had a decent match, though he could have been better.  

Overall, NYCFC continued to get beaten in the counterattacks, while several minor errors could have cost the team more goals allowed. This includes a penalty conceded by Kevin O'Toole, which luckily was saved by Matt Freese. He was also the savior of the team, making five saves while picking up the slack of the defense.   

2. NYCFC dominated in possession  

Despite the 1-0 loss, NYCFC kept over 52 percent of the possession, while forcing themselves to make four corner kicks. Hannes Wolf had an immediate impact in controlling the middle of the field, something that has been lacking since last season.   

Cushing also decided to go with Julián Fernández over Talles Magno in the attacking midfield, where he worked well in distributing passes and creating counterattacks. However, as sport has shown, dominating in possession does not guarantee a win. NYCFC still needs to figure out that final touch to get goals in the back of the net after coming up empty versus Charlotte.   

3. Still winless against Charlotte  

With the loss Saturday, NYCFC has gone winless in all five matches played against Charlotte since 2022 in MLS play. This is a huge problem since they face them twice a year in the regular season.   

Not to say that NYCFC did not have any chances. Actually, they had more chances than Charlotte, with 11 shots and three on target, while coming up with nothing. Part of this has to do with the lack of accuracy in the attacking players. Additionally, their struggles to win a match away from home continued, with just one road win all 2023.