Inter Miami CF Pulls past New York City FC
MLS New York City FC

Inter Miami CF Pulls past New York City FC

Published on March 22, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release


New York City FC huddle
New York City FC huddle
(New York City FC)

New York City FC suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Inter Miami CF on Sunday. The hosts took an early lead through Gonzalo Lujan before a brilliant free kick from Nicolás Fernández Mercau tied the game. Agustín Ojeda put New York City ahead just before the hour mark, only for Lionel Messi to equalize minutes later. Defender Micael put the visitors ahead for the second time on the day with a goal that proved to be the matchwinner.

Despite the loss in today's match, New York City FC's results in recent weeks make up the second-best start in franchise history through the first five matches of the regular season, posting a 3-1-1 (W-L-D) record with 10 points collected.

In 2018, the Club went 4-0-1 through its first five matches, which is the only record better than that of this season.

Midfielder Nicolás Fernández Mercau is the first player in Club history to score five goals over the team's first five matches.

With an assist today, Midfielder Maxi Moralez has recorded four assists and one goal in the Club's last five games.

And with five assists now against Inter Miami, Moralez is the all-time leading assister in this series overall for either side (Forward Lionel Messi is in second, with four assists).

He is the oldest player in Club history to record an assist at 39 years and 23 days old, surpassing his own record of recording an assist at 38 years and 15 days old.

Against Inter Miami CF, the Club is 5-3-4 over 12 matches in league play. The Club has scored 20 goals and conceded 18.

At home, the Club's record is 3-2-1, having scored eight goals and conceded eight.

At Yankee Stadium specifically, the Club holds a 2-1-1 record.

The pair of New York City wins were clean sheets: a 2-0 win on July 23, 2022, and a 1-0 win on March 11, 2023.

The draw ended 1-1 on September 21, 2024, and the lone loss came this afternoon.

Across the last four games (including playoff meetings and today's match) against Miami, New York City has scored five goals: three off set pieces and two from open play.

With a goal tonight, Nicolás Fernández Mercau is the first in Club history to have scored a total of five times over the Club's first five matches in MLS Regular Season play.

In addition to his goal today, Fernández Mercau scored a brace against the Colorado Rapids in the Club's previous match, scored once in the Club's 5-0 Home Opener win against Orlando City SC and netted once in the Season Opener against LA Galaxy in a 1-1 draw.

His direct free kick goal marks his second consecutive strike from a set piece in back-to-back matches, having previously scored in the same fashion against the Colorado Rapids in a 3-1 home win for the 'Boys in Blue'.

With a goal tonight, Agustín Ojeda has scored his second goal of the season. His first goal of the season was in the 5-0 rout against Orlando City SC.

With an assist today on Ojeda's goal, Maxi Moralez has recorded four assists and one goal in the Club's last five games.

With five assists now against Inter Miami, Moralez is the all-time leading assister in this series overall for either side (Forward Lionel Messi is in second, with four assists).

He is the oldest player in Club history to record an assist at 39 years and 23 days old, surpassing his own record of recording an assist at 38 years and 15 days old.

With a second assist today on Ojeda's goal, Kevin O'Toole recorded his first goal contribution of this MLS Regular Season.

NEW YORK CITY FC HEAD COACH PASCAL JANSEN

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On lessons from the match and moments that changed the game...

"It depends on which moment you define as a mistake. The start of the game was a little nervous from our side, which is not something we usually see. But coming back from a goal down that early [in the game] the way we did, and then gaining more control, especially in the second half, where we had more control of possession than we did in the first half, which is something we said to each other during the break. Also, coming back from a goal down and going up 2-1, that's a big statement in a game like this. But again, what do you define as a mistake: the second goal or the third goal? I told the players in the dressing room, if you give that player ten crosses like that and ask him to finish, if he even gets one on target, you should be clapping your hands because it's a brilliant goal. You have to respect that. From our perspective, [Defender] Kevin [O'Toole] is just a few yards too far inside, so he can't make the physical contact, which allows the player to decide whether to cross or go for goal, and unfortunately, he went for goal."

On Midfielder Nicolás Fernández Mercau's performance and development as the team's number nine...

"The game today speaks for itself. You play against one of the best teams in the league, the reigning champions [Inter Miami CF], and from a dead-ball situation he brings us back into the game after a nervous first five or ten minutes. Then when [Midfielder] Nico [Fernandez Meracu] brings us back on the scoreboard, that's a real statement of his quality and personality. I see him every day in training, working on these set pieces, so it doesn't surprise me. Throughout the game, he gives opponents a big headache with the spaces he finds and how he connects with [Midfielder] Maxi [Moralez]. You saw that in the run of play leading to the second goal as well. The quality is there. He's making a real statement at the beginning of this season, and I hope he continues."

NEW YORK CITY FC DEFENDER KEVIN O'TOOLE

On using adversity moving forward...

"It's not an easy team to play against, and I think we showed ourselves in a decent light. That was the message from the manager [Pascal Jansen], [that] he's proud of the performance, [and that we were] unlucky not to get the result. But we've got to move on. It's just one game in 34, so we'll look ahead to the next one."

On improvements compared to previous matchups...

"I think we played with a bit more conviction, especially in the second half. We carried motivation from last year's results into this game. Fortunately, we get to see them again, so we'll have another crack at them later in the season and hopefully we're right up at the top of the table again when we meet them."

NEW YORK CITY FC MIDFIELDER MAXI MORALEZ

Sobre su rendimiento y el del equipo tras la derrota...

"No, satisfecho no, porque sin duda perdimos. Hay que corregir cosas y la verdad que uno no se va contento. Hay que trabajar y bueno, veremos la semana que viene. Tenemos que recuperar a todos los jugadores que podamos que están lesionados y la próxima dentro de dos semanas con San Luis para lograr ganar de vuelta. Sin duda estamos frustrados por el resultado, pero creo que en base a lo general fue un gran partido contra un gran rival, hay que marcarlo, y lo tuvimos hasta el final. La verdad que ha sido un partido para los dos. Tuvieron la suerte ellos de empatarnos rápido en el 2-2 con tiro libre, con fortuna para ellos. Como dije, el tercer gol ha sido otro partido, pero bueno, nos vamos con la satisfacción de que lo buscamos."

On his performance and the team's after the defeat...

"No, not satisfied, because we obviously lost. There are things we need to correct, and the truth [is] that you don't leave happy. We have to keep working, and we'll see next week. We need to recover as many injured players as we can, and then the next one, in two weeks, against St. Luis, to try to get back to winning. We're definitely frustrated with the result, but overall I think it was a great match against a great opponent, that has to be said, and we had it until the end. The truth [is that] it was a match for both sides. They were fortunate to equalize quickly at 2-2 from a free kick, with some luck on their side. Like I said, the third goal was a different game, but we leave with the satisfaction that we went for it."

Sobre su aporte individual y la sensación del partido...

"En lo personal siempre queda de lado. Creo que hoy era lindo ganar por cómo estaba la atmósfera, cómo veníamos nosotros que estábamos ahí arriba, veníamos por buen camino. Pero bueno, sabíamos el rival también, la calidad que tienen individualmente. Creo que ellos han pegado en los momentos justos y nos han hecho tres goles."

On his individual contribution and the feeling after the match...

"On a personal level, that always takes a back seat. I think today it would have been nice to win because of the atmosphere, and how we were coming into it, being up near the top and on a good path. But we knew the opponent as well, the individual quality they have. I think they struck at the right moments and scored three goals on us."

NEW YORK CITY FC MIDFIELDER NICOLÁS FERNÁNDEZ MERCAU

Sobre lo que significa este gol para él....

"Es un gol más, creo que si puede ayudar al equipo bien, pero bueno, el resultado no se nos dio, así que seguiremos trabajando, que siga apoyando como vino hoy, que la verdad que nos hace muy feliz y estar junto con ellos, la verdad que es una sensación."

On what this goal signifies for him...

"It's another goal. I think if it can help the team, that's great, but the result didn't go our way, so we'll keep working. Hopefully they keep supporting us like they did today, because honestly it makes us really happy, and being together with them is truly a special feeling."

VIEW PHOTOS

Full Match Highlights - Click Here

GOAL - 17' - Nicolás Fernández Mercau [7] - Click Here

GOAL - 59' - Agustín Ojeda [26] - Click Here

4' - MIA - Gonzalo Luján [2]

Scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box with an xG of 17% to the bottom right corner.

17' - NYC - Nicolás Fernández Mercau [7]

Scored from a free kick with a left footed shot from the left half-space outside the box with an xG of 5% to the top left corner.

59' - NYC - Agustín Ojeda [26]

Scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box to the middle right zone. Assisted by Maxi Moralez [10] second assist by Kevin O'Toole [22].

61' - MIA - Lionel Messi [10]

Scored from a free kick with a left footed shot from the central position outside the box to the central bottom zone.

74' - MIA - Micael Dos Santos Silva [16]

Scored with a header from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Noah Allen [32], second assist by David Ayala [22].

Team ‚ First Half ‚ Second Half ‚ Full Time ‚

Inter Miami CF 1 2 3

New York City FC 1 1 2

Team ‚ New York City FC

(3-1-1) Inter Miami CF

(3-1-1)

Possession ‚ % 44.6% 55.4%

Shots ‚ 10 22

Shots on Goal ‚ 5 8

Pass Accuracy % ‚ 86.9% 91.9%

Fouls ‚ 13 14

Corner Kicks ‚ 7 7

Saves ‚ 5 3

New York City FC (4-3-3)

Inter Miami CF (4-2-3-1)

Head Coach: Pascal Jansen

[49] Matt Freese

[24] Tayvon Gray (86' - [38] Drew Baiera)

[13] Thiago Martins

[5] Kai Trewin

[22] Kevin O'Toole

[55] Keaton Parks (75' - [32] Jonny Shore)

[10] Maxi Moralez

[21] Aiden O'Neill

[26] Agustín Ojeda (86' - [99] Seymour Reid)

[7] Nicolás Fernández Mercau

[17] Hannes Wolf (82' - [11] Talles Magno)

Head Coach: Leandro Stillitano

[97] Dayne St. Clair

[17] Ian Frav (77' - [4] Facundo Mura)

[2] Gonzalo Luján

[16] Micael Dos Santos Silva

[32] Noah Allen

[42] Yannick Bright (77' - [19] German Berterame)

[22] David Ayala

[24] Mateo Silvetti (77' - [41] David Ruíz)

[10] Lionel Messi

[8] Telasco Segovia

[21] Tadeo Allende (63' - [56] Daniel Pinter)

Subs Unused ‚

[30] Tomás Romero

[29] Máximo Carrizo

[19] Strahinja Tanasijević

[2] Nico Cavallo

[34] Raul Gustavo

Subs Unused ‚

[34] Rocco Ríos Novo

[76] Cesar Abadia Reda

[20] Santiago Morales

[9] Luis Suárez

[88] Alex Shaw

NYC

Yellow Cards (1)

61'- Maxi Moralez [10] - Bad Foul

Red Cards (0) ‚

NONE MIA

Yellow Cards (3) ‚

38' - Gonzalo Luján [2] - Bad Foul

53' - Micael Dos Santos Silva [16] - Bad Foul

55' - Tadeo Allende [21] - Bad Foul

Red Cards (1) ‚

NONE

Referee: Armando Villarreal

AR1: Jeremy Hanson

AR2: Tyler Wyrostek

4th Official: Marcos DeOliveira II

VAR: Lukasz Szpala

AVAR: Craig Lowry

A visit from Inter Miami CF was next on the agenda for New York City FC on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

The hosts boasted an unbeaten start to the campaign, with Miami keen to jump from third to first with a victory.

Head Coach Pascal Jansen named an unchanged side from the one that beat Colorado Rapids 3-1 last time out.

Unfortunately, New York City FC endured the worst possible start when Miami took the lead with their first attack of note.

Arriving via a corner, a deflected effort landed at the feet of Gonzalo Lujan, and his snapshot into the bottom corner left Matt Freese with no chance.

Freese was called into action minutes later when Messi pounced on a loose ball and attempted to curl an effort into the bottom corner-only a strong hand from New York City's shot-stopper keeping the score at 1-0.

As the contest began to settle into a rhythm, New York City worked their way into the game. They were then handed a great opportunity to draw level from a set piece. Nicolás Fernández Mercau assumed responsibility and delivered a delightful effort that crashed against the underside of the crossbar and into the net.

In response, Miami looked to move the ball quickly in the final third, starting with Messi. His pass out wide eventually saw the ball crossed to Telasco Segovia, but his effort was blocked by Kai Trewin.

Messi then came within inches of finding the net after driving in from the right and curling a bouncing shot that struck the post.

The frenetic pace returned to the game, and Maxi Moralez tested Dayne St. Clair with a shot from just inside the area after a driving run from midfield.

Next it was the turn of Messi to get a shot off, and once again he struck the woodwork in the 41st minute. This time, it was the crossbar that denied the World Cup winner.

The second half saw no changes for either side, but Miami had an early look at goal through Matteo Silvetti that went wide, before Hannes Wolf had an effort blocked for New York City FC.

The hosts would take the lead just before the hour mark after a brilliant move from back to front, instigated by good work from Kevin O'Toole. He drove forward before dinking the ball onto Moralez, who himself produced a wonderful through ball for Agustín Ojeda to run onto.

The winger settled himself before calmly slotting the ball past St. Clair to put his side 2-1 ahead.

Unfortunately, that lead would last just minutes, as Messi drew his side level from a free kick that took a wicked deflection to wrongfoot Freese.

The end-to-end nature of things showed no signs of slowing down, and that meant Fernández Mercau was next to test St. Clair with a low shot that he turned behind for a corner.

In the 74th minute, the contest swung back in Miami's favor when Noah Allen's cross was headed home by Micael at the back post.

Jansen turned to his bench for the first time four minutes later and introduced Jonathan Shore in place of Keaton Parks.

Miami thought they had a fourth when two of their substitutes, Daniel Pinter and Germán Berterame, combined for the latter to score-only for the offside flag to deny the visitors.

A second New York City FC change saw Wolf replaced by Talles Magno in the 82nd minute. He was joined on the pitch by Drew Baiera and Seymour Reid in the 86th minute, with the pair replacing Tayvon Gray and Ojeda.

The home side almost secured an equalizer in the 89th minute after a delightful exchange of passes between Talles Magno and Fernández Mercau. The Brazilian was able to get a shot off but was denied by a last-ditch block.

Late in stoppage time, Aiden O'Neill got free at the back post from a corner and powered a header at goal that St. Clair did well to parry behind for another corner.

Unfortunately, that would be New York City's last chance of note and forced them to accept a first defeat of the season by a 3-2 scoreline.

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New York City FC huddle
New York City FC huddle
   



Major League Soccer Stories from March 22, 2026


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