BRONX, N.Y – New York City FC drop their first home game of the 2025 season and lose their second straight after a 2-1 loss to Minnesota United FC on Sunday afternoon. Two first-half goals showcased a lackluster performance from City, who saw a frustrated head coach make substitutes before the 45th minute in order to spark a comeback.
Minnesota jumped out to a lead in the second minute when they caught City in transition leading to Tani Oluwaseyi’s sixth goal of the season. From there a disorganized NYC had difficulty grabbing control of the game. Minnesota silenced the Yankee Stadium crowd, forcing star goalkeeper Matt Freese into impressive saves in order to keep his team in the game.
A set piece opportunity is what gave the opposition their second goal when Joaquin Pereyra got his second assist after a short pass to Will Trapp. The effort from the top of the box hit off of Freese’s leg and bounced into the net. A stunned City saw Birk Risa and Julian Fernandez exit the game in the 40th minute, which did spark a response from the team.
During stoppage time, Alonso Martinez was brought down in the box, leading to an important penalty kick opportunity. Unfortunately the clinical striker was unable to convert, hitting the crossbar and sending the game to the second half.
Minnesota entered the second half in a defensive shell as City looked to break down their efforts. While the team did have a lot of possession, there were little in the way of dangerous chances. Most of them came from outside of the box, whistling wide of the net. Their efforts didn’t go without some reward as Keaton Parks found the only goal for the team on a rebound from a Martinez effort.
The loss drops City temporarily into 11th place on just eight points and hands them their first home loss of the season. NYC will debut at Citi Field next Saturday to take on local rivals Philadelphia Union.
STARTING XI:
New York City FC: Freese; Ilenic (58′ Ojeda), Risa (40′ Tanasijevic), Martins, O’Toole, Parks, Haak (66′ Shore), Moralez, Fernandez (40′ Bakrar), Martinez, Wolf
Minnesota United FC: St. Clair; Hlongwane, Boxall, Romero, Rosales (89′ Markanich), Pereyra, Trapp, Lod (72′ Harvey), Yeboah, Oluwaseyi
SCORING SUMMARY:
2′ (Minnesota United FC) Tani Oluwaseyi (6) assisted Joaquin Pereyra & Kelvin Yeboah
29′ (Minnesota United FC) Will Trapp (2) assisted by Joaquin Pereyra
89′ (New York City FC) Keaton Parks (2) unassisted
DISCIPLINE:
36′ (New York City FC) Birk Risa – YELLOW CARD
43′ (Minnesota United FC) Michael Boxall – YELLOW CARD
82′ (Minnesota United FC) Dayne St. Clair – YELLOW CARD
photo by Jordan Bank