NYCFC returns home with a bang with a convincing win over Chicago Fire FC | OneFootball

After a road win on Wednesday against the Columbus Crew, New York City FC returned home for the first time since the win against the Columbus Crew on May 10. A nice road trip and the World Cup break kept fans from seeing the Boys in Blue in person, but finally, they were able to watch the Bronx side in a matchup against Chicago Fire FC. And they were treated to a show after NYCFC won 3-1.

Truthfully, the pressure was on to get the win at Yankee Stadium.  This has been mentioned often, but last season and so far in 2026, the team has not been great at home like previous years, where Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are usually a fortress, and the Pigeons barely lose.  But last year, they lost six times, and this season, they entered this matchup with a 3-3-2 record. So, earning three points against a strong Chicago side was good to see.

Meanwhile, both teams’ new Designated Players did not start this game.  NYCFC’s Bénie Traoré and the Fire’s Robert Lewandowski were on the bench to start the match.

Instead, Talles Magno, who had the incredible game-winning assist on Wednesday, earned the start.  He was put in as the center-forward, but he kept on moving toward the left side of the pitch.  That made sense, for he is a natural winger.  Still, even Head Coach Pascal Jansen continues to try to play him as the center-forward, even though that failed under Nick Cushing.

NYCFC secured a home win

Regardless, with Malachi Jones starting as NYCFC’s left-winger, Magno was forced to play a little more front and center.  And from the start, the Brazilian had his better moments during his time on the pitch when he positioned himself closer to the left side of the pitch.  This included aiding in a goal in the first half.

In fact, the game’s best moments were from the goals scored, and this included Chicago.  Fans were treated to a show.

In the tenth minute, Nicolás Fernández Mercau scored his 12th goal of the season.  Some might call it a golazo, while others might call it the goal of the season, but that is what the Argentine scored.

Nico Cavallo sent the ball into the box, and the Fire’s Jack Elliott tried to clear the ball by sending it backwards with his heel.  It landed right at Fernández Mercau, and he hit the ball with one touch to send it beyond goalkeeper Chris Brady. The speed on the shot would probably register on a radar gun that they use to measure the speed of pitches in baseball.  It also knocked down Apple TV’s goal camera, so that shows the power.

The one thing that has haunted NYCFC this season, and really too often in the past, has been set pieces.  Chicago had a free kick, and Joel Waterman had the perfect run in the 21st minute.  He made it beyond the NYCFC backline on the left side and just pushed the ball into the goal.  There was nothing Matt Freese could do, and really Tayvon Gray could have been better at this moment with his defending.

Thankfully, the lead was regained not too long after.  In the 29th minute, Andrés Perea powered through multiple Chicago players in the midfield before he sent the ball to the youngest Argentine on the roster.  Agustín Ojeda utilized his speed to power his way into the box.  He saw the bottom left corner, swiftly sent the ball at that part of the post, and the ball pinged into the back of the net.

Ojeda could have tried to score his brace toward the end of the first half, but instead, he was selfless.  Jones made his run in the center of the box, and the Argentine picked out his fellow winger.  He passed the ball across the goal, and Jones easily swept it in, sending Brady the other way.

Notably, both Magno and Perea were vital in the lead-up to the play, and all three teammates aided Jones with his first goal of the season and first since his awful leg injury.

Things calmed down a little in the second half, and Lewandowski came on to make a difference in the final third for the visitors.  This allowed them to pressure NYCFC more, and this caused more shaky plays in the defensive third.  The question at hand was whether the Pigeons would maintain their lead, and not throw points away as they have done in the first half of the season.

So, the Bronx side had more pressure defensively, but that did not mean this was one of those matches that was a story of two halves.  They still got into the final third and had solid offensive sequences.  It was not as exciting as the first 45 minutes, but that is sports sometimes.

Plus, the Fire was stronger defensively in the second half of the fixture as well.  Credit must be given when due, and play-wise, they got themselves back into the game. They just could not score.

Returning to Magno, it was puzzling when Traoré came on in the 69th minute; he slotted into the left-winger position, keeping the Brazilian where he should not be.  The new signing has been proven to play well as a striker, though, so it was interesting that they did not switch until Hannes Wolf came on for Magno.

Ultimately, NYCFC held on in a game that saw some great goals in the first half and a great battle in the second half.  But the Pigeons held on despite the stronger play by Chicago in those final 45 minutes.