NYCFC dealt massive playoff blow, lose Alonso Martinez to torn ACL during World Cup qualifying

NYCFC’s top scorer this season, Alonso Martínez, tore his ACL and meniscus while playing in Costa Rica’s 1-0 loss to Haiti during Thursday night’s 2026 World Cup qualifier, the team confirmed

The Los Ticos striker is expected to be out for eight to nine months, likely missing the first half of the next season. Martínez, who signed in August of 2023, has been the club’s top goal scorer in his two full seasons in the Big Apple, notching 17 in the league in 2024 and scoring 19 this season.

The injury represents a massive loss for the Boys in Blue, who are in the middle of a playoff push and play rivals Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Nov. 23, in Chester, PA.

Martinez has been City’s talisman this season, scoring 11 game-winning goals across the regular season and playoffs, a league-leading tally. The Costa Rican’s goal separated his side and Charlotte FC in Game 1 of the first round of the MLS playoffs, and scored City’s second in a 3-1 Game 3 win away from home to decide the tie.

The winner of that tie will face the winner of Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference finals for a chance to contest the MLS Cup against the Western Conference winner.

City has already lost starting midfield pivot Aidan O’Neill, through suspension, and Andres Perea to a right-lower-leg fracture. Head coach Pascal Jansen must now adjust his lineup to face the Supporters’ Shield winners and the number-one-seeded team in the MLS next week.

Hannes Wolf, who is second in City’s goalscoring charts this season, has a healthy tally of 11 and will look to build off a solid performance against Charlotte FC in Game 3 of Round 1. However, he is a winger.

The Austrian came back into the starting lineup after being dropped for the first two games in favor of summer signing Raul Gustavo for defensive stability, but troubled his opposite number, Nathan Byrne, all night long as the Boys in Blue put three past the best home side in the MLS this season.

Another summer signing, Nicolás Fernández Mercau, is behind Wolf on five goals for the year after arriving in July. The Argentine will be expected to lead the line in Martínez’s absence — City’s No. 7 has filled in upfront as recently as NYCFC’s 3-2 away Hudson River Derby win in September.

Another injury was not what Jansen needed coming off this international break, and there have been concerns over playing an international break in the middle of what is arguably the most crucial time of the year for MLS teams that make it to the postseason.

However, it will no longer be a problem from 2027 onwards, as the MLS recently announced a switch to a July-to-May schedule on Thursday, with the playoffs scheduled for the final month of the season in 2028.

Costa Rica needs to win its match against Honduras on Tuesday in order to stay alive for the 2026 World Cup qualification. Los Ticos sit third in Group C, two points behind leaders Honduras and Haiti.

For more on Alonso Martinez and NYCFC, visit AMNY.com