New York City FC were in My Blue Heaven on Saturday night as they defeated Chicago Fire 3-1 at Yankee Stadium for their second win in a row. Three goals in the first half, showcased by a goal-of-the-year candidate from Nico Fernandez, overpowered a Fire team that bore their teeth but proved to have no bite in the Bronx.
The game started with both teams benching their new designated players. MLS has returned to play with the usual packed scheduled, forcing rotation and leaving the likes Benie Traore and Robert Lewandowski as substitutes. That didn’t hurt the pace of play as both teams attempted to go after the game but it was City who grabbed the momentum first. Fernandez scored his 12th goal of the campaign, firing a lazer from outside of the box and past the Chicago goalkeeper. From there the pressure continued as good interlink play between the midfield led to the brace. A pass from Andres Perea opened up Agustin Ojeda’s run. From there the young Argentine attacker expertly took a shot across goal and past the keeper to double the lead.
That same connection continued and bore fruit just before the halftime whistle. Ojeda and Perea again connected with precise passing, this time inside the box to find Malachi Jones for his first goal of 2026. The youngster who played so well in Wednesday game, continued his work and was rewarded justs before the halftime whistle.
City knew that Gregg Berhalter wouldn’t let his club go down without a fight as they rolled out their main weapon in Lewandowski. While he made an imposing figure on the field, his affect on the field was little more than smoke to his team’s fire. NYC were able to play a smart defensive game, giving little to Chicago and smothering any chance of a comeback. On the other hand, substitute Traore looked dangerous and nearly created a goal to make the lead even larger.
The pushes NYCFC over .500 and puts them into fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Pigeons will remain at Yankees Stadium as they play Toronto FC on Friday. It’s another opportunity for the club to solidify their position and show how much the team has grown during the World Cup break.
STARTING XI:
New York City FC: Freese; Gray, Martins, Sands, Cavallo, Shore (85′ Farnos), Fernandez, Perea, Ojeda (90′ Illenic), Magno (85′ Wolf), Jones (69′ Traore)
Chicago Fire: Brady; Barroso (46′ Dean), Waterman, Elliott, Radojevic (71′ Gutman), Saletros, D’Avilla (63′ Pineda), Haile-Selassie (46′ Lewandowski), Zinckernagel, Lod (71′ Dithejane), Bamba
SCORING SUMMARY:
10′ (New York City FC) Nico Fernandez (12) unassisted
21′ (Chicago Fire FC) Joel Waterman (1) unassisted
29′ (New York City FC) Agustin Ojeda (4) assisted by Andres Perea & Malachi Jones
41′ (New York City FC) Malachi Jones (1) assisted by Agustin Ojeda & Andres Perea
DISCIPLINE:
51′ (Chicago Fire) Dje D’Avilla – YELLOW CARD
62′ (New York City FC) Nico Fernandez – YELLOW CARD
77′ (Chicago Fire) Joel Waterman – YELLOW CARD
80′ (Chicago Fire) Puso Dithejane – YELLOW CARD
photo from NYCFC