NYCFC is knocked out of the Open Cup by the Columbus Crew, ending the 2026 run | OneFootball

On Wednesday evening, New York City FC faced the Columbus Crew in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. This was the second meeting between the teams this year after the Pigeons beat them in Major League Soccer just ten days ago. But this time, the Crew got the better of the side from the Big Apple. The Bronx team fell 1-0, failing to go beyond the quarterfinals once again.

Of course, injuries were shadowing the Boys in Blue as they entered the game.  Maxi Moralez was badly injured during the Hudson River Derby over the weekend.  Then, during warmups, Keaton Parks was injured and was scratched from the lineup.  It is unknown how serious the injury is or what it is.

Truly, with six other players already on the injury list, excluding Moralez, losing Parks would not be ideal, even with the World Cup break coming up.  NYCFC really needed something positive and good, and a win against the Crew would have done that.  After all, the Bronx side has never been to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup.

Of course, that was not the outcome.  When one watched the match, it felt like NYCFC was there, doing the motions.  But the effort was not their best, and it felt like something was missing.  Perhaps it was Moralez, but the team has the ability to play without him.

NYCFC is out of the Open Cup

The match was not like the last meeting.  NYCFC struggled in the shooting department despite having some good runs and movement toward the goal.  Andrés Perea had the best shot in the first half, for Agustín Ojeda was smart to pass the ball back to him.  Perea had an opening, but alas, the ball went wide in the 12th minute.

Otherwise, the first 45 minutes were just the exchanging of possession.  At least, that was until the Crew became more threatening toward the end of the half.  Matt Freese had to make two big saves in quick succession in the 40th minute.  André Gomes’ shot was initially saved, but then Taha Habroune had an opportunity to slot the ball home on the rebound.  But Freese reacted quickly, forcing the Columbus player to barely get a shot off.

What was really concerning, though, was that NYCFC was held to only two shots, with none on target.  Pascal Jansen needed to rally his team in the locker room, for the Boys in Blue had to change how they were playing from the first 45 minutes.

And, they were a little better, but struggled to get that shot on target.  But Columbus was energized, for they were stronger offensively.  Eventually, the home side went in front.

In the 59th minute, the Crew broke down the NYCFC defense, creating space.  As such, Max Arfsten forced Thiago Martins to follow him, creating an opportunity for the player to shoot from slightly out wide.  And, it was a brilliant shot, for the ball went into the bottom-right corner of the goal.  Freese could not do anything; the pace of the shot was too much for the goalkeeper.

Afterward, it felt like that was going to be it for the Pigeons.  In the 64th minute, Jansen replaced four of his best attackers.  Nicolás Fernández Mercau, Perea, Ojeda, and Hannes Wolf were all taken off for Máximo Carrizo, Arnau Farnós, Malachi Jones, and Seymour Reid.  It was good that the younger players were given minutes, but the drastic change from those who are more experienced made it feel like the head coach threw in the towel.

Yes, that is highly unlikely since there is only one more game before the World Cup break.  Jansen would not be concerned with the amount of playing time coming up.  More than likely, he felt those players were not scoring, so trying something different would not hurt.  Still, he probably should not have made all of those changes at once.

Truthfully, the substitutions did create a new energy for NYCFC.  They got into the final third and created some chances.  But again, the Boys in Blue failed to find a shot on target.

Excluding the goal allowed, the defense was solid, especially thanks to the seven saves by Freese.  Jamal Thiaré easily could have doubled the Crew’s lead in the 90th minute, but the goalkeeper swiftly got to the ground to make the stop.  The Columbus player probably should have shot more to his right, but he did not.

There is no question that NYCFC had a lackluster game, and that is why they are no longer in the Open Cup.  And thankfully, as it has been mentioned, the break is almost here.  And boy oh boy, it cannot get here fast enough.