Three first-half goals earn NYCFC second straight win

For the first time in 76 days, New York City FC was back in the friendly home confines of Yankee Stadium after a two-month World Cup break.

With goals from Nico Fernández Mercau, Agustín Ojeda, and Malachi Jones all before halftime, NYCFC rolled to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Fire.

That makes it two straight wins since MLS resumed, and now ten consecutive meetings with the Fire without suffering a defeat. It was also the third straight 3-1 win for NYCFC over Chicago dating back to their two meetings during the 2025 season.

New York City jumped into fifth place in the Eastern Conference with the victory, and will be back in the Bronx to face Toronto FC on Friday night.

Nico's still in form

Fernández Mercau entered the World Cup break with 10 goals in 15 MLS matches, and hasn't looked back since returning, scoring twice in his last two games.

After scoring a penalty against Columbus last game, Fernández Mercau followed that up with a much more thrilling goal against Chicago. In the 10th minute, a clearance from Jack Elliott fell right to Fernández Mercau, who smashed the ball from outside of the box and into the left corner, leaving Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady completely flat-footed.

Certified banger 💥 pic.twitter.com/CPbTV2h0TW

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) July 25, 2026

It was Fernández Mercau's 12th goal of the season, a strike that should add more to the $18 million transfer fee the club apparently rejected for the 26-year-old. Plus, he only trails Hugo Cuypers and Petar Musa — who have both scored 13 — for the most goals in the league.

Malachi Jones scores a special goal

It was May 12, 2024, when Jones, the eighth overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, scored his first professional goal in New York City's 3-2 road win at Toronto FC. Less than a month later, Jones broke his leg and didn't return to the pitch for 652 days, until he came on during a loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on April 11, 2026.

Now, Jones is consistently back in the lineup again, and 804 days after that game against Toronto, the winger scored his first goal since his gruesome injury, and his second overall for NYCFC, striking in the 41st minute against the Fire.

It was a great team goal, starting with some crisp passing from Talles Magno and Andrés Perea. The ball got to Ojeda — the scorer of the team's second goal — who played a pass into the box to Jones, and he smashed it into the back of the net to give his side a 3-1 lead.

Perfectly set, perfectly finished 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/creJzmT3hx

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) July 26, 2026

Jones put the ball under his shirt to honor the child he's expecting with his wife, followed by Matt Freese, who ran the full length of the field to celebrate, lifting Jones up and spinning him in circles.

Talles Magno's first MLS start in years

After notching a hard-earned assist in the win over Columbus, head coach Pascal Jansen awarded Talles Magno with his first start of the season against Chicago on Saturday. Additionally, it was his first MLS start since NYCFC's 1-0 win over — coincidentally — the Fire on October 21, 2023.

The start was well-deserved for Talles Magno: In 197 league minutes played off the bench this year, he's totaled two goals and an assist in 11 matches. The 24-year-old also recorded a hat trick against Westchester SC in the Open Cup back in April.

Although Talles Magno didn't get a goal or an assist, he played key passes on the team's first and third goals, respectively. Talles displayed some good hold-up play, but only had two touches in Chicago's box, and completed just 16 of his 27 attempted passes.

With new Designated Player Bénie Traoré still working up to full fitness, Talles Magno might be expected to be the starting striker for the time being.