New York City FC suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Columbus Crew SC on Wednesday night, eliminating them from the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in the quarterfinal stage. While the loss brings the club’s momentum to a halt, after going three games without a loss, the club still has a positive view of their situation. City have been forced into an difficult situation, with the club having played an astounding five games in the month of May after having played seven in April. While head coach Pascal Jansen will certainly feel as if his team could have done better against the Crew, he isn’t negative on how much his team has progressed in recent weeks.
“We’re all disappointed because we were focused on putting ourselves in a good position to reach the semi-final,” said Jansen after the game. “The games are coming so quickly that we don’t have time to sit and complain about it. We’ll take 24 hours, like we do after every win, loss or draw and then we have to get ready again for Nashville.”
Nashville represents City’s last test before the FIFA World Cup break. Currently the best team in MLS, Nashville will be one of the bigger tests for NYC as they hope to solidify their own playoff standings. The club sits in fifth place and while they can’t push further, they can surely keep rivals Red Bull New York at bay as both are tied with identical records.
What’s more important is that City prove that they can win without star midfielder Maxi Moralez. The club legend suffered a major leg injury during the New York Derby with many believing he may be sidelined for the remainder of 2026. There are options off the bench, Andres Perea showed just how possible it is to set into shoes so big. However, the longterm affects of that type of leadership loss is difficult to calculate.
“We have to push ourselves to keep the momentum going in MLS,” said Jansen. “We are very disappointed that weren’t able to move closer to winning a trophy because, once you’re in the quarterfinal, you’re only a few games away from reaching a final and competing for silverware. That’s the sad part about it tonight.”
photo from New York City FC