New York City FC played to an eventful 2-2 draw with Orlando City SC, a draw earned with the last kick of the game as Jonathan Shore scored a 99th minute equalizer to salvage a point for the visitors at Inter.co Stadium.
Alonso Martínez, making his fifth appearance and third start since coming back from his ACL injury, tapped home a first goal of 2026 at 18' following a cross from Hannes Wolf that neither Orlando goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau nor defender Iago could divert from danger.
The New York City lead got quickly erased by Antoine Griezmann, who headed home a Martín Ojeda cross in the 32nd, a goal that came only a few minutes after Matt Freese had to leave the match with an apparent injury to his left shoulder, replaced by backup Tomás Romero in the 28th minute. Orlando didn't take long into the second half to take a lead, with Martín Ojeda beating Romero with a perfectly placed low strike in the 49th minute.
Orlando held its lead but only just barely, with New York City creating plenty of chances and testing Crépeau. Talles Magno's entry as a substitute in the 71st minute proved significant, as the Designated Player drew a penalty a few minutes after coming on and gave New York City a prime chance to get level.
Talles, though, took control and decided to take the penalty he'd earned after being fouled by Wilder Cartagena — not usual penalty taker Nicolás Fernández Mercau, who was four-for-five from the spot this season but missed his last attempt in Miami. Alonso Martínez also seemed to want to take the PK and was seen speaking to Talles about it. Despite those other options, the 24-year-old Brazilian stepped up and then promptly missed from the spot, putting his shot wide of goal and off the water bottle of Crépeau.
That looked to be the defining lowlight of the night in another loss for NYCFC, until James Sands picked out an open Shore for a last-second goal that spared New York City a defeat but also doesn't feel like enough in the last stages of the race for the last spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Orlando: 2.1 xG, 9 shots, 4 shots on target, 46% possession, 407 passes, 87% pass accuracy, 16 fouls, 3 corners, 4 saves
New York City: 3.8 xG, 17 shots, 6 shots on target, 54% possession, 499 passes, 91% pass accuracy, 12 fouls, 9 corners, 2 saves
Goals:
• New York City, Alonso Martínez, 18'
Orlando, Antoine Griezmann, 32'
Orlando, Martín Ojeda, 49'
New York City, Jonathan Shore, 90'+9'
Attendance: 21,525
Strong start, then Freese leaves
New York City looked great in the opening 20 minutes of this match, with runs in behind the Orlando defense by Alonso Martínez creating real danger and chances. Tayvon Gray was busy trying to be the playmaker for Martínez, twice, in the 10th and 12th minutes, playing precise throughballs to the feet of the Costa Rican striker while he ran by the Orlando backline.
Neither chance from Gray got NYCFC the opener, but it did still arrive after a neat combination of passes between Hannes Wolf and Nico Fernández Mercau, then a dangerous-enough low cross from Wolf that Crépeau got a touch on, but a touch that only helped the ball along to Alonso Martínez.
Welcome back, Alonso Martínez! 🙌 The Costa Rican scores his first goal for @newyorkcityfc post-injury! 📺 Watch on Apple TV: https://t.co/T6zRJ7tAvp https://t.co/0q0ipnOTmw
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 25, 2026
Huge moment for Martínez to get back on the scoresheet, and deserved after he'd had three decent shot attempts in the opening 15 minutes, with Crépeau making a good save to deny him in the 12th minute.
The good times of Martínez scoring wouldn't last long, though. Matt Freese signaled that he needed to come off for a substitute around ten minutes after NYCFC got its opening goal, and the vibe shifted from there. Freese looked to be favoring his left shoulder and wasn't lifting it above his head as he made his way out of the match for Tomás Romero, what could be yet another costly injury blow that the 2026 season had to sneak in there before it was over.
Romero got unceremoniously greeted by a Griezmann header, with the French star drifting into space beyond Thiago Martins and picked out well by a Martín Ojeda cross, Griezmann's 13th goal for Orlando. It was 1-1 at halftime but NYCFC started the match better than that scoreline indicates, until things got complicated when Freese came off and they lost their slim lead.
Penalty intrigue, then Shore the Savior
Talles Magno has twice now drawn late penalty kicks for NYCFC after coming on as a substitute, and each time it happened in the state of Florida. The one in Orlando was of greater consequence because, if converted, it would have canceled out Martín Ojeda's go-ahead goal and drawn NYCFC level with at least 10 minutes still to play.
Instead, the penalty situation did not go well at all for NYCFC. Talles drew the foul and grabbed hold of the ball with clear intent to take the kick, but Alonso Martínez also appeared to make a bid to take the PK, and Fernández Mercau had been the team's usual penalty taker with steady success throughout the season leading up to this match.
That Talles Magno would step up to take the biggest penalty of the season just seemed odd from the jump, and sure enough, his attempt was put wide and Orlando retained its lead heading past the 82nd minute. A sequence that looked like it was going to be the big screw-up of another costly loss, until New York City got its equalizer at the last possible moment.
Malachi Jones cut in from the right and dribbled right at Orlando's goal in the match's final minute, with his cross attempt unsuccessful but still successful in that it fell to the feet of Sands, who spotted Shore, who picked out the far-corner with a shot at 90'+10' that maybe keeps a glimmer of hope alive for New York City FC's season.
99th minute equalizer! 🤯 Jonny Shore saves a point for @newyorkcityfc with the final kick of the game! 👀 https://t.co/RvQcpiHaut
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 25, 2026
Their situation is still bleak as far as the MLS Cup Playoffs go, with the draw combined with wins elsewhere for Red Bull New York, FC Cincinnati, and Columbus Crew keeping NYCFC in 12th place, but now four points behind the final playoff place, the Red Bulls in ninth place.
Only three games remain on the schedule, all against teams below NYCFC in the Eastern Conference standings, and with two held at home at Citi Field. Yet because of what is now a six-match winless run for NYCFC, it will now take a three-match winning streak to give the team any hope of climbing above the playoff line.
While the goal from Shore was excellent and a high point for the young midfielder early in his MLS career, it's too little, too late in a game that NYCFC needed to get more from than just the one point.
