NYCFC continues down a winless path after a loss to Charlotte 2-1

By Olivia Ordonez | Queens, NY | April 18th, 2026

NYCFC went against Charlotte FC in a painful match. Previously, NYCFC and Charlotte FC last met on September 20, 2025, a match where New York City FC secured a 2-0 home victory against Charlotte FC. But despite past successes, including their most recent U.S. Open Cup win, the team suffered a frustrating 2-1 loss to Charlotte. In the past, NYCFC has won 3 out of 4 of the last games against Charlotte FC. Early on in the game, it looked as if NYFCFC was in control again until the scoreboard sang a different story.

Game Recap

The game began with Charlotte’s Brandt Bronico picking up a yellow card almost immediately, but Nicolas Fernandez saw this as an opportunity to attempt a shot. But despite his attempts, the score remained 0-0.

Soon after, NYCFC’s Raul Gustavo was given a yellow card as well for a bad foul. From that point on, it looked like an NYCFC game as they took over and had back-to-back shot attempts from Aiden O’Nell, who overestimated and made his shot too wide, but  Agustín Ojeda was right there to try again, only for the shot to be saved by Charlotte FC’s goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. 

With Hannes Wolf right behind, a shot attempt was made and blocked soon after. Even with pressure being put on Charlotte, they weren’t folding.  By Halftime, NYCFC had taken nine more shot attempts than Charlotte and controlled possession 64% to 34%, but still the score remained 0-0. The second half of the game told a new story.

Only 9 minutes into the second half, Charlotte struck and landed. Harry Toffolo shot a pass to Idan Toklomati, who carried it to the end and gave Charlotte a 1- 0 lead. As an attempt at damage control, NYCFC subbed in Talles Magno, a player who previously sparked talks after a major hat trick in the last game against Westchester * check facts. Opportunities to score kept landing in the hands of New York City, with Raul Gustavo making a header that missed the target, and again with Magno.

As New York City FC continued their attempts, Charlotte struck again at the 90th minute, putting the game beyond saving. Despite this fact, Nicolas Fernandez Mercau was determined and scored a goal with an assist from Hannes Wolf. But the final score still shows Charlotte triumphant. The final score was 2-1.

After the game, Agustin Ojeda put what the loss truly meant into words.

“We dominated everything in the first half; it felt like it was ours. We leave frustrated because we controlled that half and didn’t score, and then with two or three small mistakes that led to their goals, it leaves a very bitter feeling. We have another game on Wednesday against FC Cincinnati, and we have to turn things around in that one,” said Agustin Ojeda

With NYCFC’s next home game against FC Cincinnati, a team that they previously beat 4 out of 5 times, on April 22 at Yankee Stadium, can fans expect a path of losses?

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