New York City FC snaps winless skid with shutout win over Columbus

New York City FC picked up its first league win in over a month, comfortably defeating Columbus Crew 3-0 in the Bronx on Mother's Day.

A Hannes Wolf hat trick ensured the Pigeons picked up points in the league for the first time in three games, and earned their first home win since March 14 when they defeated the Colorado Rapids, also at Yankee Stadium.

Sunday afternoon saw a display that was far from clinical from both sides, with New York City holding Columbus to just 0.18 expected goals (xG) in the first half, and just 1.07 xG on the day. The Pigeons weren't much better, only mustering 1.03 xG themselves, but two close-range finishes and a venomous first-time strike from Hannes Wolf were enough to get New York City over the line.

The Austrian stepped up with a five-minute brace inside the match's opening 20 minutes, slotting home from close range off cutbacks from Agustín Ojeda and Nico Fernández Mercau, before completing his hat trick in the 67th minute. His third, fourth, and fifth goals of the campaign marked Wolf's fifth multi-goal game for New York City, and his first hat-trick in the Big Apple.

Wolf blows the house down

To put it simply, Wolf has had a slow start to 2026. After scoring in New York City's 2-1 win away at Philadelphia Union on Matchday 2, the Austrian put forth just two more goal contributions before picking up an injury during the 4-4 draw with FC Cincinnati on April 22.

As a result, Wolf failed to start the previous three matches in all competitions going into Sunday, with Malachi Jones and Arnau Farnós replacing the Austrian on the left wing.

Yet, once fully recovered, Pascal Jansen opted to bring Wolf back into the fold, and he repaid that faith quickly, finding the net after barely 12 minutes of action.

New York City broke the deadlock early thanks to a wonderful move from back to front. Nico Fernández Mercau picked up the ball inside his own half before weighing an inch perfect through-ball towards Agustín Ojeda, splitting the Columbus backline. Once the Argentine got the ball at his feet, he drove towards the endline before cutting it back for Wolf to finish with his right foot, guiding it past Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.

Less than five minutes later, the Pigeons produced some magic again, punishing Columbus with a nearly identical goal, this time from the left side of the pitch. On this occasion, both of New York City's Nicos connected as Nico Cavallo, making his third straight start at left back, played in Fernández Mercau, before the Argentine found Wolf to his right to slot home and make it a 2-0 New York City lead.

The party continued for Wolf and the Pigeons in the second half, as The Wolf of Wall Street 161st St. capped off his first-career New York City hat-trick in style. Arriving late at the edge of the box, Wolf swept home another pass from Fernández Mercau in the 67th minute to make it a three-goal advantage.

Wolf thought he had his hat-trick earlier in the first half, finding the net in the 27th minute before it was ruled out for offside. But as they say, fourth time's the charm.

Wolf was the picture of efficiency, scoring with all three of his shots on target. The Austrian is now up to 21 goals for New York City in all competitions, the fourth-most by an active New York City player and the 10th-most in club history.

Wolf's last mutli-goal game came on September 25, ironically also against Columbus, when he bagged a brace in New York City's 3-2 win over the Crew in the Bronx. For a winger whose form has been under consistent scrutiny this season, given how hot New York City opened 2026, this performance comes at a much-needed time for both player and club.

Finally back to winning ways

Sunday's win saw both Wolf and New York City regain confidence after a difficult month of April, and with the World Cup break now right around the corner, it's exactly what the doctor ordered.

It wasn't an all-encompassing, perfect display from the Pigeons despite finding the net on three occasions. Jansen's side operated predominantly on the counter, highlighted by his team commanding just 42% of the possession and having only 18 touches inside the Columbus penalty area.

As a squad, New York City only managed eight total shots, with Wolf alone accounting for three of the Pigeons' five shots on target. Yet, despite not finding the back of the net himself, the two assists see Nico Fernández Mercau reach 10 MLS goal contributions already, just two behind Lionel Messi (12) for the league lead.

New York City also shined defensively, keeping a clean sheet as Columbus struggled to test Matt Freese in goal all afternoon. The Crew fired off 11 total shots, but only managed to put two on frame, with the majority either blocked or rifled off target.

Columbus will certainly feel they should have gotten more from this contest, considering the Crew generated 1.07 xG and had nearly 60% of the ball, but Henrik Rydström's men struggled when it came time to break down Pascal's Pals in defense.

Thiago Martins and Kai Trewin starred with 12 defensive actions between them, including four blocks. Raul Gustavo, who didn't look as comfortable on the day, still stepped up with seven defensive actions while only conceding one foul.

And hats off to Nico Cavallo. The former third-round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft made his third straight start for the Pigeons with Kevin O'Toole still sidelined with a leg injury. Contributing two accurate long balls as well as the "hockey assist" on Wolf's second goal, he was a handful for Columbus up the left side all game long.

With the win, New York City jumps back into the Eastern Conference playoff spots, though with three away games left before MLS goes on a two-month hiatus for this summer's FIFA World Cup.

Last September, the Pigeons rallied past Columbus with a late 3-2 in the Bronx, kick-starting their fall run to the 2025 Eastern Conference Final. Jansen and New York City FC will hope this year's statement win over the Crew can propel them to similar heights.