A lot went on during the 2-2 draw between New York City FC and Orlando City SC at Inter.co Stadium.
The two teams combined for 6.24 expected goals while putting a total of 10 shots on target, Alonso Martínez got his first goal since his ACL injury, Matt Freese hurt his shoulder and exited inside the match's first 30 minutes, and Antoine Griezmann scored yet again for Orlando.
Yet the sequence that stands out from all the rest of the New York City FC storylines unfolded inside a span of two minutes and 57 seconds late in the second half while NYCFC trailed 2-1 and while the club's season teetered on the brink.
Talles Magno, the 24-year-old Designated Player making his 18th appearance as a substitute this season across all competitions, drew a penalty, fouled from behind by Orlando's Wilder Cartagena as Talles tried to latch onto a dangerous line-breaking pass forward from Tayvon Gray.
Referee Elijio Arreguin blew his whistle and pointed to the spot while the game clock read 77:13, and by the time Talles began his run-up and blasted his shot wide at 80:10, a whole season's worth of drama unfolded in those two minutes and change.
First, the fact that Talles was the one drawing the penalty was significant: It was the second time he'd done this exact thing in his last three appearances since returning from his latest injury, and the second straight match NYCFC played in Florida that featured a late penalty drawn by the Brazilian forward.
The Designated Player's impact has been minimal this season, his first back in MLS since 2024, and largely due to Talles's inability to stay healthy and available for selection. Muscle injuries ruled him out of 13 of NYCFC's 38 matches played, and the rest of his season seemed to be spent trying to build up fitness in order to be available for more than 30-minute spurts as a substitute. Here he was, then, out there in the closing stages in Orlando in position to make a massive difference for his team.
He drew the penalty, but his positive contributions ended there.
Talles got up from drawing the foul and immediately gestured to his teammates as if to say, "I've got this." You can see him getting up after the foul with a hand and arm extended in a "back off" gesture, and Talles immediately grabs hold of the ball and begins carrying it around as VAR checked whether or not he was offside and if the penalty should be given.
In this moment, Talles's posture was that of someone dead-set on taking the penalty kick, no matter if he was the designated penalty taker or not. He high-fived both of Nicolás Fernández Mercau and Alonso Martínez and walked past them, all while holding the ball and appearing like someone getting ready to step up to the spot.
Those two players passed over by Talles have converted nine penalties in MLS for NYCFC over the last two seasons, while Talles has made one penalty for NYCFC, in the 5-2 win over USL League One side Westchester SC during the 2026 US Open Cup. Prior to his attempt vs Westchester, the last time Talles took a PK for NYCFC, it was July 17, 2024, when he converted in a 2-2 draw with Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Meanwhile, back in Orlando in the present day, Martínez lingered by that penalty spot and seemed to be waiting for his chance to get the ball off Talles Magno to take another crack at beating Maxime Crépeau. Martínez had tapped home a goal in the 18th minute, had four other shot attempts in what was an all-around dangerous appearance early in his ACL comeback, and is coming off a 2025 season in which he'd converted five of his seven penalty attempts in MLS.
