In their Citi Field home opener, New York City FC downed a Dániel Gazdag-less Philadelphia Union 1-0 to snap a two-game losing skid and record their second clean sheet of the season. It was also NYCFC’s first home victory over Philadelphia since 2019, and comes one season after the 1-5 thrashing that New York City received at Yankee Stadium last year.
After a sloppy first half, NYCFC desperately needed someone to step up and change the game. As usual, Alonso Martínez took matters into his own hands with a true El Clínico goal. But we shouldn't overlook the contribution of Mitja Ilenič, who earned the assist after playing an impressive across-the-field pass that found Martínez running in behind the backline.
New York City now sit 10th in the Eastern Conference with 11 points and will next face New England at Gillette Stadium.
New York City: 11 shots, 2 shots on target, 49.6% possession, 397 passes, 81.4% pass accuracy, 9 fouls, 3 saves
Philadelphia Union: 17 shots, 3 shots on target, 50.4% possession, 385 passes, 79.7% pass accuracy, 13 fouls, 1 save
Goals:
• New York City, Alonso Martínez, 55'
Attendance: 19,897
Andrew Leigh
Sluggish first half
Like the weather in Queens on Saturday night, it was an ugly first half.
Philadelphia’s press forced NYCFC’s backline into several mistakes, but a goal-saving block from Justin Haak to deny Quinn Sullivan and fast reflexes from Matt Freese kept Philadelphia’s high-powered offense at bay.
Towards the end of the opening 45 minutes, Martínez nearly recorded his first assist of the season, but his pass to the back post just missed the outstretched legs of Agustín Ojeda, who started in place of Julián Fernández for the second time the year.
Both sides went into the break scoreless, with Philadelphia outshooting New York City 7-6 despite the latter possessing 55% of the ball.
Hudson River Blue Staff
A better second half
NYCFC opened the scoring 10 minutes after returning to the field. Deep in his own half, Ilenič passed the ball across the field to send Martínez through on goal. The Costa Rican dribbled past Philadelphia goalkeeper Andrew Rick and slotted the ball into the open net for his fifth goal and Ilenič’s first assist of the season. It was also Martínez’s third straight game with a goal against Philadelphia.
IT DOESN'T GET MORE ROUTE 1 THAN THIS 🍿 pic.twitter.com/hmi6BC1H3z
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) April 13, 2025
“I saw Alonso moving in behind, and I just tried to put a good ball there, and thank god it was even better than I expected,” Ilenič said. “Alonso’s quality — he just sprinted through the guys and moved the goalkeeper, and put it calmly in the goal. It just feels good to assist also and help my team.”
“The moment when he touched the ball by the goalkeeper, I was like, ‘Ok, I got the assist, and he got the goal,’ so we scored, but it was kind of a weird game. We had to fight for these three points.”
Martínez revealed that the goal was something the team worked on in training this week.
“The pass was really, really well,” he said. “We worked on it this week during training. Luckily, the goalie came out, so I was able to round him and slot the ball in.”
With his goal, Martínez became the fourth player in club history to score five goals in his first seven games of a season, joining Taty Castellanos (2022), Jesús Medina (2021), and David Villa (2017).
Martínez’s goal in the 55th minute proved the game-winner, as New York City saw out the one-goal lead.
Oliver Strand
Defenisve bounce back
NYCFC conceded six goals in its last two games: First, there was the 4-3 collapse to Atlanta United, then there was the embarrassing 1-2 home defeat to Minnesota United, which was already over by the halftime whistle.
Going up against a Philadelphia attack that scored 10 goals in their first three games, led by Tai Baribo’s MLS-best six goals, was never going to be easy. But a backline consisting of Kevin O’Toole, Haak, Thiago Martins, and Ilenič did well.
Despite Philadelphia’s high press causing problems in the first half, New York City settled down in the second and limited the Union to just three shots on target, all of which were saved comfortably by Freese.
“It was super important (to bounce back) because we were supposed to get the win last game, and we didn’t,” Martins said. “This is the best response from the team.”
Keaton Parks and Jonny Shore also contributed to the clean sheet. The duo combined for 18 recoveries, six interceptions, four duels won, and four clearances.
“It feels normal,” Parks said on playing alongside Shore. “He’s a mature guy, he’s a very good player, and he’s a very smart guy. We talk a lot before games and get on the same page. It feels like playing with anybody else.”
It was Shore’s fourth start of the season, and he looked right at home. The newly turned 18-year-old has stepped seamlessly into the lineup as a defensive midfielder.
“Obviously, really grateful for all the opportunities, and with each game, I feel more confident; I gain more experience, so, it’s been great so far,” he said.
As for Parks, the game marked his 200th career appearance with NYCFC. The 27-year-old joined the club in 2019 after playing for Benfica and Varzim in Portugal.
“I’m very grateful for my time here,” he said. “I’m grateful for all the people, staff, the players, and I’m happy to reach that milestone. I wish it was earlier with the injuries that I dealt with here and there, but overall, very happy to be here.”
“We absolutely needed this (victory). Like I said, they were very winnable games that we let go, and dropped points that we didn’t need to. It was big for us to win this one before going back on the road.”
NYCFC will go back on the road for its next two games against New England and Toronto FC.
"(It was) very important,” said Head Coach Pascal Jansen. “I just told the boys — this is the response I already expected last week going into the Minnesota game. We were switched on from the start today, ready for a fight … Philly is a tough side to play, but the guys handled themselves quite well, especially when looking at the previous games we’ve played at home."
• Philadelphia, Olwethu Makhanya, yellow card, foul 33'
• Philadelphia, Francis Westfield, yellow card, foul 90+3'
Officials
• Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.
• Assistant referees: Brooke Mayo, Kathryn Nesbitt
• Fourth official: Joshua Encarnacion
• VAR: Geoff Gamble
• Assistant VAR: Joshua Patlak
