Charlotte FC 1-3 New York City FC: Fernandez double secures playoff progress
New York City FC, MLS Cup champions in 2021, are through to the Eastern Conference semi-finals after a 3-1 win over Charlotte FC.
Nicolas Fernandez scored twice as New York City FC overcame Charlotte FC 3-1 to progress in the MLS playoffs.
Fernandez netted in first-half added time before doing so again in second-half stoppage to seal NYCFC's place in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
It was not until the 47th minute that NYCFC hit the front at the Bank of America Stadium on Friday, as Fernandez capped off a fine solo run with a composed finish, after Brandt Bronico had squandered a great chance for Charlotte.
Alonso Martinez doubled NYCFC's lead five minutes after half-time, seemingly teeing up Pascal Jansen's team for a smooth ride into the next round.
Yet Idan Toklomati's 81st-minute strike dragged Charlotte back into the contest.
Instead of wilting under the hosts' pressure, though, NYCFC stood firm, with Kevin O'Toole making a fantastic block before Hannes Wolf picked out Fernandez on the counter, with the Argentine lofting home a neat finish to set up a clash against the Philadelphia Union.
Data Debrief: Away day specialists strike again
NYCFC have now won eight road games in 2025 across all competitions, and seven of their last nine away matches (D1 L1).
That is more victories than any other team in MLS since that run began (July 16), after NYCFC had won just one of their first 11 road fixtures of the season.
Charlotte will consider themselves unfortunate, given they created chances worth 2.46 expected goals to NYCFC's 1.19 xG, but the visitors were clinical when their opportunities came.
NYCFC got six of their eight shots on target, while Charlotte only managed a single attempt on target from 15 shots in total.
