NYCFC Held to 1-1 Draw as Late St. Louis Equalizer Spoils the Party
MLS New York City FC

NYCFC Held to 1-1 Draw as Late St. Louis Equalizer Spoils the Party

Published on April 4, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release


New York City FC recorded a 1-1 draw against St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday night at Citi Field. Despite controlling much of the game, the hosts had to wait until the second half for the breakthrough. Hannes Wolf provided it in the 51st minute, finishing calmly to put City ahead. A stoppage time leveler from Brendan McSorley forced the two teams to settle for a point.

New York City FC hold an all-time home record of 105-36-42 (W-L-D) across 183 matches, with a 68.85% home winning percentage.

New York City FC averages 1.95 points per game at home.

Tonight's match marked the second all-time MLS Regular Season meeting between New York City FC and St. Louis CITY SC.

In the series against St. Louis, New York City holds a 0-1-1 (W-L-D) record, with one goal scored and three conceded.

All-time, New York City has played MLS Regular Season matches against 14 different Western Conference teams, posting a total record of 34-29-21 (W-L-D).

At home, New York City has posted a 20-12-10 all-time record against teams in the West.

The team's overall Citi Field record during the MLS Regular Season is 12-5-7.

Over 24 games played at Citi Field, New York City FC has scored 34 goals and conceded 29.

The team has nine recorded clean sheets.

The Club's most recent match at Citi Field was in the 2025 MLS Regular Season on Decision Day against Seattle Sounders FC. The Club fell 2-1.

Thus far in this MLS Regular Season, New York City remains unbeaten against teams in the Western Conference, posting a record of 1-0-2.

In addition to tonight's draw, in the Club's Season Opener against LA Galaxy the Club drew 1-1. The Club then defeated Colorado Rapids 3-1.

At the conclusion of the evening's match, Midfielder Maxi Moralez is in a tie for first in Major League Soccer in assists recorded this season with five.

At 39 years and 36 days old (age today on MD 6 v STL), Moralez continues to extend his record as the oldest player in Club history to start and play in a match, and to record an assist.

Midfielder Hannes Wolf scored his second goal of the season and his first at home in 2026.

He also scored in a 2-1 away win for the Club against the Philadelphia Union on Matchday 2.

He is now the ninth in all-time goals scored and goal contributions for the Club with 18 goals and 33 G+A.

Lastly, he became the first ever goal scorer in the series between New York City FC and St. Louis CITY SC.

Midfielder Nico Cavallo made his first appearance of this MLS Regular Season in tonight's match.

NEW YORK CITY FC HEAD COACH PASCAL JANSEN

On the team conceding late and the locker room reaction...

"It feels like a loss. It's one point, but it feels like a loss. When we came back into the dressing room, it was very quiet. We always finish up like we always do, win, draw, or lose. The message was [about the late conceded goal], this is on us. You have several moments where you can decide the game. We didn't play our A-game overall, but we had good phases and phases that were less good. To concede the way we did in the final part of the game is something that is simply how would I put it, impossible. Shouldn't be happening. You have to put your life on the line. You have to make sure you keep this ball outside of the box, block it but we didn't. It's a gamble. The guy runs and gets the first touch and gets it in goal, and they get a point from a game where we should have killed it off in an earlier stage."

On who's responsible for the conceded goal and overall performance...

"This is on all of us. You could see also that's something that already took place in the first half as well, when we are not accurate enough, not solid enough in possession. You saw multiple moments in the first half, also where we lose the easy passes and it becomes more of a transitional game. The phases where you see that we have the control, we're very solid and very clean and accurate in possession. We were a little bit in a hurry in the first half in order to create those moments, instead of making two or three extra passes to open up the spaces that we like to play in and become less transitional. The moment itself at the final stage of the game is on all of us because the pressure is there. It's only one goal difference, so they don't have anything to lose. They bring more bodies up front. Then it's two things: either you stay very solid in possession so they can push all the bodies forward that they want to, but you stay very solid in possession, or you defend with your life. That is something that was neither of both of them because we had two, three moments even from transition ourselves to kill the game. We kept them alive."

On substitutions and managing player fitness...

"Well, that's quite easy. We have [Defender] Kai [Trewin] and [Midfielder] Aiden [O'Neill] come back from national team duty. They were on the other side of the world playing two games for the national team of Australia. Aiden [O'Neill] played two full 90's [minutes]. The second game he was taken off like five minutes before the final whistle, and Kai played one game, the second game, and 10 minutes in the first game. It's tough on these guys, and you have to be aware of the fact that they have their duties for the national team. Kept contact with Aiden [O'Neill] throughout the game, but his calves were running out of gas and we had to take him off. Tre [Defender Kai Trewin] didn't play his best game. That can happen as well. So, we moved Kai from the center part of the pitch to the side in order to create that fullback position that we like to see in build-up also. And Keats [Midfielder Keaton Parks] is still struggling once the hour mark is there, between 60 [minutes] and 70 [minutes]. He's still trying to work on his physique and make sure that he is capable of playing longer. So, that was the idea behind bringing [Midfielder] Jonny Shore into the team."

NEW YORK CITY FC FORWARD NICOLÁS FERNÁNDEZ MERCAU

Sobre sus pensamientos después del empate...

"Me siento bien, con mis compañeros me siento bien, pero como dije recién, nos vamos con ese sabor amargo que nos podríamos haber llevado la victoria, pero bueno, ellos marcaron ahí en el final y bueno, es fútbol y tenemos que seguir trabajando.."

On the draw...

"I feel good. I feel good with my teammates, but like I said, we leave with that bitter feeling that we could have taken the win. But they scored at the end, and well, that's football, and we have to keep working.."

Sobre lo que se viene de cara a la temporada...

"Sí, sí, bueno, es partido a partido. Todos los partidos son duros semana a semana, como lo venimos haciendo. Creo que lo venimos haciendo bien y enfocar en lo que viene."

On what's coming up next in the season...

"Yes, yes, it's game by game. Every match is tough week to week, like we've been doing. I think we've been doing it well, and now we focus on what's coming."

NEW YORK CITY FC MIDFIELDER MAXI MORALEZ

Sobre las sensaciones tras el empate...

"Difícil, la verdad que una amargura porque, era un partido para ganarlo. Hicimos los méritos, tuvimos las posibilidades, pero cuando no cerrás ese partido, por ahí suceden estas cosas: al final tienen una chance y te empatan. Es lamentable, pero creo que dentro de todo tratamos de buscarlo, cerrarlo y no se pudo."

On the emotions after the draw...

"It's difficult. Honestly, it leaves a bitter feeling because it was a game to win. We did enough, we had our chances, but when you don't close out the game, these things can happen. In the end, they get one chance and they tie it. It's unfortunate, but overall we tried to push for it, to close it out, and we couldn't."

Sobre lo que debe mejorar el equipo para mantenerse en la pelea arriba de la tabla...

"Ser consistente. Creo que veníamos con esa consistencia de querer generar chances y poder concretarlas. En los últimos dos partidos, la verdad que por ahí no tuvimos la contundencia. Tenemos las chances, pero bueno, la contundencia un poco no. Son cuestiones de partidos. Veremos ya el próximo partido, voy a tratar de hacerlo, sí, tratar de traer los tres puntos."

On what the team needs to improve to stay near the top of the table...

"Be consistent. I think we were coming in with that consistency of wanting to create chances and being able to finish them. In the last two games, the truth is maybe we didn't have that finishing touch. We have the chances, but the efficiency hasn't quite been there. These are things that happen in games. We'll see in the next match, I'll try to do it, yes, try to bring back the three points."

NEW YORK CITY FC MIDFIELDER HANNES WOLF

On his first goal, overall performance, and assessment of the team's result and areas for improvement...

"Obviously, I'm happy to score, but the result is not good. It feels as if you concede that; it feels like a loss. To be honest, at home, I think we had a lot of chances to finish it off."

On his goal and the positional freedom he and Midfielder Nicolás Fernández Mercau have under Head Coach Pascal Jansen...

"It's different this year without [Forward] Alonso [Martínez]. So, we try to search for moments where we can still attack space because we don't have Alonso's [Martínez] speed up front. I just try, when [Midfielder] Nico [Nicolás Fernández Mercau] drops outside, and [Midfielder] Maxi [Moralez] drops outside, to come more to the middle, so it's more fluid. We had moments, we had some good counterattacks at the end too. I feel like we played pretty decent, but not good enough, especially in front of the goal."

51' - Hannes Wolf [17]

Scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box with an xG of 18% to the lower left zone. Assisted by Maxi Moralez [10].

90+6' - Brendan McSorley [80]

Scored with a header from the center of the box with an xG of 11% to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Lukas MacNaughton [5].

Team First Half Second Half Full Time

St. Louis CITY SC 0 1 1

New York City FC 0 1 1

Team New York City FC

(3-1-2)

St. Louis CITY SC

(1-3-2)

Possession % 62% 38%

Shots 14 12

Shots on Goal 7 3

Pass Accuracy % 86.8% 82.5%

Fouls 9 11

Corner Kicks 2 4

Saves 2 6

Full Match Statistics - Click Here

New York City FC (4-3-3)

St. Louis CITY SC (3-4-3)

Head Coach: Pascal Jansen

[49] Matt Freese

[5] Kai Trewin

[13] Thiago Martins (C)

[22] Kevin O'Toole

[24] Tayvon Gray (75' - [34] Raul Gustavo)

[10] Maxi Moralez

[21] Aiden O'Neill (88' - [2] Nico Cavallo)

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

[7] Nicolás Fernández Mercau

[17] Hannes Wolf

[26] Agustín Ojeda (88' - [11] Talles Magno)

Head Coach: Leandro Stillitano

[1] Roman Burki (C) [21] Dante Polvara

[32] Timo Baumgarti

[99] Jaziel Orozco

[8] Chris Durkin (65' - [28] Miguel Perez)

[24] Daniel Edelman (71' - [5] Lukas MacNaughton)

[17] Marcel Hartel

[6] Conrad Wallem

[16] Sergio Cordova (71' - [36] Cedric Teuchert)

[20] Rafael Santos (80' - [59] Mykhi Joyner)

11] Simon Becher (80' - [80] Brendan McSorley)

Subs Unused

[19] Strahinja Tanasijević

[29] Máximo Carrizo

[30] Tomás Romero

[87] Arnau Farnos

[99] Seymour Reid

Subs Unused

[4] Mbacke Fall [14] Tomas Totland

[39] Ben Lundt

[77] Sang Bin Jeong

NYC

Yellow Cards (1)

59' - Hannes Wolf [17] - Bad Foul

Red Cards (0)

NONE STL

Yellow Cards (3)

43' - Chris Durkin [8] - Bad Foul

61' - Dante Polvara [21] - Bad Foul

56' - Jaziel Orozco [99] - Bad Foul

Red Cards (1)

NONE

Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauzière

AR1: Meghan Mullen

AR2: Justin Howard

4th Official: Sergii Demianchuk

VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.

AVAR: Fabio Tovar

New York City FC were in the World's Borough on Saturday night as they hosted St. Louis CITY SC.

The visitors came into the game fresh off their first win of the campaign, while New York City were keen to get back to winning ways after a narrow loss to Inter Miami CF last time out.

Head coach Pascal Jansen named an unchanged side from the one that faced Miami, and that almost produced an early chance for Keaton Parks.

The midfielder latched onto a bouncing ball inside the area and unleashed a ferocious volley that flew just over the crossbar.

That was followed by several half-chances for New York City before Nicolás Fernández Mercau had the ball in the net with a composed finish, but the offside flag denied him a sixth goal of the season.

In response, St. Louis came close with an opening of their own, but Marcel Hartel was unable to make clean contact with a cross toward the near post. Simon Becher attempted a follow-up effort, but his shot was blocked.

Fernández Mercau then tested Roman Bürki from range with a rasping strike that required a strong save from the Swiss shot-stopper.

St. Louis began to grow into the game and, in the 26th minute, Hartel forced a smart save from Matt Freese down to his right, pushing the ball around the post for a corner.

That was followed minutes later by an ambitious effort from Sergio Córdova that went high and wide.

New York City continued to push as halftime approached but could not break through, sending the two sides into the break scoreless.

The hosts looked to change that after the restart, and a fast start delivered the breakthrough in the 51st minute through Hannes Wolf.

The Austrian forward picked up the ball deep inside the St. Louis half and, after exchanging passes with Maxi Moralez, calmly rolled the ball beyond Bürki.

It was almost two in the 63rd minute after Agustín Ojeda made a brilliant run in behind down the right, but his low shot from a narrow angle was turned behind by Bürki.

St. Louis were handed a real opening minutes later when Hartel found space in the final third, but his effort from the left-hand side of the box flew wide of Freese's goal.

Jansen turned to his bench in the 75th minute, introducing Jonny Shore and Raúl Gustavo in place of Parks and Tayvon Gray.

The visitors continued to push for an equalizer, which forced Thiago Martins into diligent defensive work in the 78th minute, blocking an effort from Becher.

A similar intervention was required nine minutes later when Cedric Teuchert found space inside the area, only for Martins to once again step in and block the attempt.

Jansen made his second double substitution in the 88th minute as Talles Magno and Nico Cavallo replaced Aiden O'Neill and Ojeda.

New York City pushed for a second and nearly found it in spectacular fashion when Fernández Mercau attempted an audacious lob from distance, only to see his effort drift just wide.

St. Louis then had a golden opportunity to equalize in stoppage time. A deep free kick fell to Polvara, but he blazed his volley over from 12 yards out.

The closing stages turned chaotic. Fernández Mercau broke through one-on-one but was denied by Bürki, a miss that proved costly.

Deep into stoppage time, Brendan McSorley rose to head home and level the match, earning St. Louis a 1-1 draw.

Check out the New York City FC Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 4, 2026


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