NYCFC scrap to vital Game 1 win over Charlotte in MLS 1st-round playoff series

NYCFC held Charlotte to a 1-0 win away at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, for a vital Game 1 win in their best-of-three first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

The Boys in Blue became the first away team to win in the 2025 MLS playoffs through a moment of brilliance from player of the match Alonso Martinez in the 34th minute to break the deadlock.

NYCFC beat the winningest home side in the league this season as well — Charlotte picked up a league-leading 13 wins from 17 in the regular season, one more than Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia Union. NYCFC’s away form improved after only picking up two wins in the first 12 away matches.

NYCFC also ended a streak of losses in North Carolina that dated back to a 1-0 defeat in September 2022.

Matthew Freese was the difference at the end, saving a point-blank effort from captain Ashley Westwood in the 88th minute to keep his tenth clean sheet in all competitions this season.

New York set the tone for the rest of the match in the first half, with a 56% share of the possession, five more shots than the Crown, and forcing Kristijan Kahlina into two good saves in the first 12 minutes. The Boys in Blue were on the high press straight from the first whistle, catching Charlotte off-guard and forcing them to play inside the home side’s half for most of the 45 minutes.

“Our high pressure was spot on,” Pascal Jansen said after the match. “I think we regained a lot of possession before they even crossed the midline, but we also had to reward ourselves from these good moments to get more chances out of these regains of possession.”

Jansen got his tactics right, deploying Justin Haak in defensive midfield on the ball, but acting as a center back in a trio alongside Thiago Martines and Raul Gustavo when NYCFC had to defend. Haak also dropped as deep as the center backs to collect the ball from Matthew Freese in buildups — a combination Jansen has deployed all season. Haak is NYCFC’s playmaker from the back, escorting the ball from defence to attack for the Boys in Blue.

Andres Perea played on the left flank of a 4-2-3-1, a role he had previously played earlier this season when the squad was thin with injuries. He was outstanding again — diligent going forward and back.

Perea robbed the ball off Djibril Diani near his halfway line and drove City forward, hitting the post in the 30th minute. They were finally rewarded with their goal three minutes later when Perea kept NYCFC’s attack alive.

Martínez took the ball and drifted through the Charlotte defenders, sticking the ball between Adilson Malenda’s legs while at it, and finishing with aplomb past Kahlina to give New York the lead.

“[Martinez has] been magnificent for us,” Jansen said. “The growth he’s shown throughout the season is tremendous. His mentality in order to become better every day is what I see in training, and that’s what gets him to this level today — a special goal at a special moment in a special game.”

Charlotte looked better in the second half, more active in their high press and caused City problems 10 minutes in.

Kerwin Vargas saw a shot deflected just wide of Matt Freese’s right post for Charlotte’s best chance of the match so far in the 51st minute. Ashley Westwood saw a dangerous free-kick effort saved in the 57th minute when Tayvon Gray caught Brandt Bronico just outside the box. Gray was booked for the offence.

However, NYCFC’s compact shape in defense meant that every time Charlotte had managed to win the ball, two City defenders would immediately meet the Crown attacker.

City almost doubled its lead in the 85th minute, but Kahlina was equal to Perea’s header at the near post. Substitute Archie Goodwin had the match’s last chance, blasting a near-post shot into the side netting from a throw-in six minutes into added time.

“I said to my guys just now, it’s only the first half, so we’re up one-nil,” Jansen said. “It’s halftime now for a couple of days, and then we get back and start the second half, and we’ll try and get the job done so we don’t have to play extended time.”