New York City FC takes on a familiar foe in Charlotte FC at Citi Field on Saturday evening.
Head coach Pascal Jansen emphasized that Charlotte will be out looking for revenge after his Boys in Blue knocked out the Crown in the first round of the playoffs last season. NYCFC earned away wins at the Bank of America Stadium to secure passage to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Charlotte lost 2-0 in the regular season as well, thanks to an Alonso Martínez brace at Yankee Stadium, and Jansen said, “It’s something we have to take into account.”
The two have developed a rivalry on the pitch, with their head-to-head finely set at four wins each and two draws. When Charlotte beat NYCFC on penalties in Game 2 of the three-match series in November, Kristijan Kahlina was photographed celebrating his penalty saves in front of the Pigeons’ supporters’ section. Then, the photo was re-circulated when NYCFC knocked Charlotte out less than a week later in a 3-1 win.
“I think the games in 2025 showed that we are two competitive teams who have a lot of quality on the field, and I’m looking forward to us playing each other again,” Jansen said.
The Dutch coach also highlighted that captain Thiago Martins is back on the pitch again, training after Jansen revealed the defender had suffered a minor injury in his right thigh. Andres Perea, who broke his leg in Game 3 in Charlotte, is “getting very close” to full fitness as well.
Perea was instrumental towards the tail-end of NYCFC’s 2025 campaign. The all-action midfielder complemented Aiden O’Neill well in the midfield and even popped up with important goals in big matches — like his lob over Carlos Coronel in the most recent Hudson River Derby.
NYCFC will be heading into this matchup full of confidence after a comfortable 5-2 win against Westchester SC in the U.S. Open Cup, setting up a Hudson River Derby against the Red Bulls in the Round of 16 later this month.
“It helps but we also have to put it in perspective — it was a cup game where the resistance is different compared to the MLS,” Jansen said.
Talles Magno netted a hat-trick, whilst Agustin Ojeda showed off his ruthlessness in front of goal, scoring and assisting twice before the half-hour mark. However, Jansen said Magno is “competing with guys in an existing team from 2025, so there is a few things he needs to take care of,” before he deems the Brazilian ready for MLS action.
Magno is not “physically there yet” compared the squad’s starters, but “it’s good to see Talles get three goals on Tuesday,” Jansen said.
“It means he’s trending in the right direction in order to stay competitive with the guys that get the starting minutes from the last [few] games.”
Charlotte has won three of their last five matches, including a 6-0 drubbing of the Charlotte Independence in the cup mid-week. They sit level on points with NYC but the Boys in Blue are fourth just because of an extra goal scored. In the league, though, Charlotte’s attackers struggled against a flying Nashville side sitting top of the East.
Archie Goodwin is in fine form for the Crown, scoring four goals in his last four appearances. He is a threat off the bench for Dean Smith, and could even earn a starting spot ahead of Idan Toklomati Jorno this weekend.