NYCFC concedes another costly stoppage-time goal as playoff dream dies

It was "Decision Day-Lite" for New York City FC on Halloween this year, and the Pigeons gave fans the fright of the season, conceding a late goal from CF Montréal in the 92nd minute to force a 1-1 draw at home, eliminating New York City FC from the 2026 Major League Soccer playoff picture.

A deflating result in what might turn out to be the final NYCFC match ever played at Citi Field, the Pigeons looked woefully ineffective prior to Montréal keeper Samsy Keita gifting them the opener just before halftime. Despite holding the lead until beyond the 90th minute, the draw speaks more to the lack of quality on display from New York City FC than that of Montréal, who essentially played for pride for the entire 90 minutes, having been already eliminated from playoff contention prior to kickoff.

With Charlotte's 4-0 demolition of Orlando during the earlier kickoff, a win would have kept NYCFC in the playoff picture, as least for the moment. The draw, coupled with a 3-0 home win for Columbus over DC United, officially eliminated the Pigeons from the playoff race with one game left in the regular season.

Whether the Pigeons were just getting into the holiday spirit, or were just not up to the task, it was about as scary of a performance that you could see from a side fighting for its playoff life.

New York City FC officially fails to make the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs

NYCFC's 1-1 draw with CF Montréal combined with the Columbus Crew win over DC United means NYCFC will miss the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third time in the club's history.

New York Soccer JournalAndrew Leigh

Underwhelming play finally sinks the season

Just moments after NYCFC radio announcers Glenn Crooks and Matt Lawrence got finished admonishing the New York City performance in the first half, a costly giveaway from Montréal's 17-year-old Canadian goalkeeper Samsy Keita handed Andrés Perea the opener on a silver platter. Be that as it may, the broadcast booth was justified with its remarks, as the 40 minutes prior to the opener saw New York City look lackluster and ineffective against the worst team in the Eastern Conference.

By the time the halftime whistle blew, last-place CF Montréal had outshot the Pigeons four to two, yet while having only five touches inside the New York City penalty area. The Pigeons, by contrast, could not place a key pass or make the most of individual moments on the ball.

It was a complete stroke of luck that saw New York City could jog into the locker room at halftime, with the Montréal-born Keita playing too fast and loose for his own good and passing the ball straight to Nicolás Fernández Mercau, who made little work of finding Perea for the decisive finish in the 41st minute.

Put us on the board in the first half 💪 https://t.co/ulbjzPo7DK

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) October 31, 2026

It was just the 17-year-old keeper's third MLS appearance for his hometown club, and that was a mistake that players learn to overcome as they grow in their careers. For New York City FC, it was a moment of sheer good fortune, taking advantage of a clumsy rookie to finally break down one of the bottom-three defenses in the East – a glaring indictment of the Pigeons' attacking performance in a must-win matchup to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Coming out of the break, things did not improve for New York City. Matt Freese was forced into a strong save in the 53rd minute for his lone intervention of the game, parrying away former Arsenal FC & FC Barcelona forward Alexis Sánchez's free kick attempt from the middle of the pitch. The Pigeons did well to limit the 37-year-old Chilean up front, keeping Sánchez to just his lone shot from the deep freekick.

Doing what he does best 🥶 https://t.co/ttGlF33sT2

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) October 31, 2026

Bénie Traoré and Talles Magno joined Jonny Shore in getting the hook from Pascal Jansen just before the 60 minute mark, the culmination of a dreadful start to the second half where the Pigeons looked worse off than they did before the break.

Despite those changes, Montreal continued to pressure New York City defensively.

Traoré, who scored his first goal from open play on Wednesday in the win over Atlanta United, looked dreadful on Saturday. The Ivorian looked lost with the ball at his feet, registering less than 20 touches overall. He failed all three of his attempted dribbles while generating just 0.01xG+A before being subbed off in the 57th minute.

He was subbed in favor of fresh legs up front alongside Talles Magno, who also looked lost up front, living on an island with few creative outlets around him. The Brazilian had 15 touches, zero shots, and earned a yellow card in what was another wasteful performance from someone in the No 9 role not named Alonso Martínez.

Both players occupy Designated Player slots on the New York City roster, yet have add six goal contributions between them in the league since Traoré arrived during the World Cup break. Despite commanding wages towards the top of the New York City squad, Saturday afternoon once again saw a match crying out for their goalscoring impact, and both of them failed to answer the call.

Speaking of Designated Players, Nico Fernandez Mercau, who also scored in the win over Atlanta, looked frustrated with his NYCFC teammates throughout the afternoon. Taking up his position in midfield, Fernandez consistently found himself having to drop deep to win the ball back for the Pigeons, while he lacked the support up front to truly create chances on the day.

The Argentine did walk away with another assist to add to his impressive season tally, now sitting on 21 goal contributions in the league in 2026, though this one will go down as one of the lowest-effort assists of his career.

As the second half dragged on, New York City attempted to defend its way to the final whistle, allowing the pressure to build until the dam finally broke two minutes into second-half stoppage time.

Luca Petrasso burst into the box before clipping a cross towards the middle of the New York City penalty area, where substitute Daniel Rios was waiting to sweep the ball home past Freese. Rios's strike was just the second shot on target from Montréal all afternoon, but it earned the visitors their ninth point on the road in 2026.

Equalizer for Montreal! 😮 Daniel Ríos brings things level in stoppage time. https://t.co/5cyVR9MRxF

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 31, 2026

And that's all she wrote from the 2026 season for New York City FC. The Pigeons threw the kitchen sink at Montréal in the dying moments of the match, but Keita came up with a strong kick-save in the final seconds to seal the Pigeons' fate.

This is the third time in club history that New York City FC has failed to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs, and the second season since 2023. With the 2026 season marking the end of MLS as we know it today, this season will feel like a massive missed opportunity for New York City FC and City Football Group, plagued with stagnation and regression from the form that saw the Pigeons reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2025.

Decision Day will be meaningless for New York City when they head down to DC United on November 7, simply a chance for pride points as New York City stares down the barrel of a massive shake-up this offseason.

With the clock ticking down inside nine months until the opening of Etihad Park next July, all eyes will be on what changes the front office may make in the wake of this disappointment of a 2026 season.