By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

New York City FC will return to visit the Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on November 23. After a thrilling 3-1 win in Charlotte, the Boys in Blue will again look to topple a top seed on the road. The match comes just under four years since they toppled the Union in Chester en route to their first ever MLS Cup Championship, and just over three years since the Union returned the favor in the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to LAFC in the cup final.

It was a trio of stunning goals that lifted New York over Charlotte FC for the second time in two visits. Nico Fernandez Mercau opened the scoring in first half stoppage time, carrying the ball from inside the city half after a strong physical challenge. With Alonso Martinez to his left, the Argentine continued his run, somehow guiding the ball across the goal and into the top corner.

Just five minutes into the second half, the visitors doubled the lead with another brilliant solo goal. A Maxi Moralez pass over Charlotte’s high defensive line fell perfectly for Martinez, who controlled the ball under pressure with grace. The Costa Rican international evaded a defender before slotting the ball under goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina and into the net.

Later in the half, City were dealt a rough blow as midfielder Andres Perea went down with a lower leg injury after an aerial duel. After a lengthy break he was carted off the field, later diagnosed to be a fracture. The club announced on Monday that Perea underwent surgery on his leg, with rehab beginning immediately. No timetable was given for his return, but it’s not likely he will return this postseason.

Following Perea’s injury, Charlotte looked for a lifeline with their season once more on the ropes. With 10 minutes remaining in regulation they finally found a breakthrough as Archie Goodwin was able to lay the ball off perfectly for Idan Toklomati. 

It would be Charlotte’s lone goal in the three-game series, as New York City’s defense stood strong to close out the final minutes of the match. Even with a monumental 12 minutes of stoppage time, the hosts were unable to break through Thiago Martins and Justin Haak in the back line. Matt Freese only faced one shot on target, with Charlotte’s other 14 redirected away from goal.

“I don’t know how many blocks Justin [Haak] had in the first 10 minutes,” commented Freese following the match. “The defensive line putting their bodies on the line is something we’ve worked on, and I’m very grateful for it. That type of thing leads to wins, energy, and it shushes the crowd.”

As the match clock ticked past the 100th minute, Nico Fernandez Mercau again had a say in stoppage time. This time a strong move by Hannes Wolf allowed the Austrian to maintain possession after a sliding challenge. The winger carried the ball into the box before laying it off to Fernandez who again finessed the ball off the woodwork and in. It was the first time since late September that NYC scored more than once in a match.

Now New York is set to face off against one of their most bitter rivals. This year against Philadelphia each club has defended home turf. In April NYC defeated the Union at Citi Field with Alonso Martinez scoring the lone goal in the match. In early October the Union clinched the Supporters Shield for the second time in franchise history with a 1-0 win.

It will take another fiery defensive performance and more moments of magic from their attackers to best the league’s top seed on the road. Philly led Major League Soccer with a solid defensive record, keeping 14 clean sheets and only allowing 35 goals. While the Wild Card winning Fire forced a penalty shootout in Game 1, the Union came out on top 4-2, ending the series in Game 2 with a 3-0 win in Chicago. 

Philadelphia will look to become the eighth Shield-winners to follow up their regular season with postseason glory. New York will look to again become the road warriors they were in 2021. As the only lower seed to advance out of the first round, they will be the visitors the rest of their cup run.