The final game of the regular season saw New York City FC host Seattle Sounders FC. Both teams arrived with a playoff spot secured, the only difference being that New York still had home-field advantage in play. This placed all the pressure on the home side to perform and get results. 

In general, the match was manageable for New York City, especially considering that Seattle had the commute and time difference against them. Believe it or not, these small details matter, more so when performance is directly affected. Having said that, the home side came out with the best lineup possible. Wolf, Alonso, and Nico Fernandez were ready to face off against Seattle, or at least that was expected. 

Alonso Martinez was unable to score against Seattle | Credit: Brandon SamarooAlonso Martinez was unable to score against Seattle |
Credit: Brandon Samaroo

The team never really found the rhythm throughout the match. The first moment of danger took place in the 26th minute after the VAR overturned a potential penalty call for Seattle Sounders. From that moment forward, not much was seen from New York City. The visitors were able to neutralize the midfield. Both Maxi Moralez and Nico Fernandez were unable to create any plays. This, in part, forced them to play long balls to the final third and allowed them to have a numerical advantage against the striker.

New York City FC was playing as if its outcome was the only one that mattered for the night. Yes, it could have been a product of Seattle’s tactics, but the team didn’t seem all there in some moments of the game. It literally took them 45 minutes to create the first chance of the match through Justin Haak. While the draw was a favorable result, a win was the only scenario in which New York controlled their destiny for the playoffs. However, by halftime, both Charlotte and Nashville had favorable results. This meant that as of that moment, New York fell to 6th place and had Inter Miami CF as their playoff rival. 

Things took a turn for the worse when Seattle took the lead in the 61st minute. Jordan Morris was able to connect with a header to beat Freese from a set piece. Midfielder Andres Perea emphasized that the FIFA break stopped their momentum and could have affected them physically. Nevertheless, the changes made by Pascal Jansen gave New York City a breather, with Agustin Ojeda and Julian Fernandez coming from the bench.

New York City FC will face Charlotte FC in the first round of the Playoffs | Credit: Brandon SamarooNew York City FC will face Charlotte FC in the first round
of the Playoffs | Credit: Brandon Samaroo

The team managed to bounce back with the changes that were made, but it wasn’t enough. While Julian and Ojeda finally were able to break away from Seattle’s pressing, they were unable to connect with Alonso with clarity or enough space to take advantage of his finishing abilities. The game equalizing goal came from Nicolas Fernandez in the 82nd minute after a quick pass succession inside Seattle’s box. While his shot took a deflection, it was enough to find the back of the net. The tie gave the team some breathing space, taking into consideration that Charlotte FC had secured their result. The objective was not to finish the game with a defeat. 

Unfortunately, New York City FC was unable to hold the result. While the goal gave them momentum and did create clearer chances towards the final minutes of the match, the set-piece Ghosts returned to haunt the team yet again. Seattle found the game-winning goal in the 87th minute through Jackson Ragen. The defender was found unmarked during a corner kick and had the freedom to head the ball into the goal. New York City fell short yet again and ended the regular season with a defeat. 

All things considered, the night, while bitter, ended with positive notes to some extent. They secured 5th place and will face Charlotte FC in the first round of the playoffs. In addition, their star player, Wilfred Zaha, will miss the first game due to a red card suspension. While any away game can be difficult, knowing that the opposition will be missing one of their best players can be motivating.

New York City FC will be looking to obtain a good result in that first game so they can close the series at home and evade the possibility of a third game. Hopefully, the team learns from their mistakes and works on fixing what went wrong against Seattle. Otherwise, the playoff run can be over before it begins.