New York City FC needed a win on Saturday night at Citi Field but instead had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Los Angeles FC which sees them remain outside of the playoff bubble with just four games remaining in the season. Head coach Pascal Jansen has many positives to look towards with the club playing well against one of the better teams in the Western Conference. However, results are paramount and the Dutch coach knows that opportunities continue to be wasted.
“I think better choices have to be made in order to create even bigger opportunities,” said Jansen after the game about his team’s creativity. “That’s something we’ve been dealing with throughout the season. The urgency to go into the final third, get a play, get a shot or finish the attack is a major focus of our game. Sometimes we rush ourselves in these moments and forget to create an even bigger opportunity to get ourselves on the scoresheet.”
The lack of results has gone from startling to alarming for New York City. The club has only one win in their last 13 regular season games, seeing the club go from potentially hosting a playoff game to perhaps not being involved come the end of 2026. Only four games remain, two of which will be at Citi Field against opposition that can be acknowledged as inferior. Atlanta and Montreal both have seen their seasons fall apart, hoping to drag Jansen and NYCFC down with them.
Despite the results, the players themselves are staying positive and pointing out that their proactive style of play is pushing for points. City attacked LAFC throughout the second half and looked to be heading towards taking maximum points. However, it is that lack of consistency, especially in a week where the club played three times in eight days, that cost them the result.
“I think there was only one team that wanted to win tonight,” said midfielder Aiden O’Neill. “It’s just about putting the ball in the back of the net, and then we walk away with three points. I think maybe, just where we are at the moment, that’s the biggest reason why we didn’t win this game.”
City have another difficult game this coming weekend as they travel to Orlando to play an Orlando City SC side that is on a consistent streak. They have seven points from their last three games, dispatching DC United 4-1 this past weekend and hoping to improve their chances of hosting a playoff game. Antoine Greizmann and company will be a difficult test for Jansen as the club looks to avoid missing out on the playoffs for the third time in their history.
photo from NYCFC