It's been a bleak two weeks for New York City FC.
The club lost four matches in a row between Sunday, August 9, when they fell to Cruz Azul in Leagues Cup, and Wednesday, August 19, when they conceded a last-gasp goal to lose to FC Cincinnati back in Major League Soccer action.
The Cincinnati loss was a second straight back-breaker, a match they seemed to have under control and one that, at minimum, seemed to be heading to a stalemate as the second half dragged on and as New York City failed to convert any of its numerous chances to get a second goal.
"This should have been a draw, or, based on how we played, especially in the majority of the first half...and then a massive piece in the second half, we should have rewarded ourselves to play a winning game," Pascal Jansen said of his team's performance immediately following the Cincy defeat.
They definitely had multiple chances to make this "a winning game," but instead, New York City FC left Ohio with no points and another dispiriting defeat, days after Jansen's team conceded thrice after halftime at home to lose to a resurgent Philadelphia Union side, though with multiple mistakes made by NYCFC in the second half to help the Union back into the game.
It's easier to chalk off the two losses to Cruz Azul and Club Necaxa to close out Leagues Cup, given they were in a midseason tournament staged against teams from an international league, and with a severely unforgiving format that makes advancing hard, and that crams three matches into the span of eight days.
The performances against Philadelphia and then Cincinnati, though, are more concerning, given they were against fellow MLS Eastern Conference teams, and given that each loss highlighted different issues that have plagued this New York City team throughout a bumpy 2026 season.
Tripping over the finish line
Late goals conceded have been killers for New York City this season. Of the 29 goals in MLS play that NYCFC has conceded in 2026, 12 have occurred after the 75th minute and, maybe more brutally, seven have been conceded after the 90th minute.
Their opponents have seen the chances start rolling in late in games, with NYCFC's expected goals against (xGA) also spiking significantly from minute 75 through to the final whistle, so it's not like the 12 goals conceded after the 75th minute have been unwarranted or entirely flukey.
New York City looks like a "first half team" that fades badly late in games. That manifests even with their goals, since 19 of the 34 goals scored by NYCFC have come before halftime, and since they've been outscored 12-4 in that late-match period between minute 75 and the final whistle.
"I think we should have rewarded ourselves in the second half," is what Pascal Jansen said of his team's performance in Cincinnati. Roman Celentano made six of his seven saves after halftime, twice denying glorious scoring chances for Luighi.
Instead of the reward of a win, NYCFC conceded in second-half stoppage time yet again, missing out on at least one point. Goals they've let in at the very end of the second half — against St. Louis, Charlotte, and twice against Cincinnati — have cost them a total of seven points, given how results swung once New York City conceded.
This was yet another match in which NYCFC was unable to complete a comeback. In fact, New York City FC has yet to earn a win from a match they've trailed at any point, just like the one in Cincinnati when they fell behind early in the 11th minute.
