New York City Wins 5-4 on Penalties
MLS NEXT Pro New York City FC II

New York City Wins 5-4 on Penalties

Published on March 16, 2026 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
New York City FC II News Release


New York City FC II recorded a 1-1 draw in the first Hudson River Derby of the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season. Seymour Reid opened the scoring early on before Rafael Mosquera equalised. After the teams could not be separated in 90 minutes, Nico Cavallo converted the decisive spot kick to hand his side a 5-4 win and secure the bonus point for NYCFC II.

Match Recap

New York City FC II hosted Red Bulls II in the first Hudson River Derby of the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season.

NYCFC II opened the campaign with a goalless draw last time out, securing a bonus point via a 5-4 penalty shootout win.

Head Coach Matt Pilkington named a strong side for the game, boasting a number of players with first-team experience on their résumés.

That quality told early as the hosts took the lead in the fifth minute.

2026 MLS SuperDraft selection Kevin Pierre forced a turnover and that allowed Máximo Carrizo to find Seymour Reid.

The Jamaican forward then made no mistake, sliding a low shot into the bottom corner to put NYCFC II ahead.

That early strike sparked the visitors into life and forced the hosts into some diligent defending.

The Red Bulls' intense press helped create a frenetic pace to the contest, with little time to settle on the ball for either team.

Ronald Mitchell almost drew the visitors level in the 17th minute after finding space inside the area, but he dragged the effort wide.

The Red Bulls would find an equaliser four minutes later through Rafael Mosquera-the midfielder cutting in on his left and firing a fierce drive past Tomás Romero.

Six minutes later, Tanner Rossborough was handed the chance to put the visitors in front, but he blazed an effort high and wide from the left channel.

Mosquera was then handed the chance to double his tally from a free kick after being fouled by Nico Cavallo. His eventual effort proved comfortable for Romero.

In response, NYCFC II managed to work the ball into dangerous areas on several occasions but struggled to convert those moments into clear-cut chances.

In the 34th minute, Pierre almost found Reid with a cute through ball, but the striker was unable to latch onto the pass.

The start of the second half saw one change for Pilkington's side as Juan Ponce replaced Sebastiano Musu.

It would be the visitors that registered the first chance of the half in the 50th minute through Andy Rojas, before Carrizo saw an effort blocked by Erick Londoño.

The Red Bulls proceeded to engineer a number of looks at goal, but were denied thanks to a string of vital blocks from Max Murray, Nico Cavallo, and Kam Acito.

When the visitors were able to get a shot on goal, they found Tomás Romero stood in their way. The El Salvador international denied Dennis Nelich in the 72nd minute.

Further changes followed for NYCFC II in the 78th minute as Peter Molinari and Luka Sunjic replaced Cooper Flax and Jonny Shore.

Pilkington's side were then handed a late chance to win the game when Reid ran through one-on-one, but Tobias Szewczyk made the save.

The 1-1 result after 90 minutes forced penalties between the two teams to decide who would claim the bonus point.

Twelve spot kicks were needed in the end, with Cavallo scoring the decisive penalty to hand NYCFC II a 5-4 victory in the Hudson River Derby.

Check out the New York City FC II Statistics

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