New York City FC II punched their ticket to the MLS NEXT Pro postseason for the first time in club history despite a 1-0 home defeat to Huntsville City FC on Decision Day.
NYCFC II fell behind after 32 minutes when Huntsville's Woobens Pacius scored the match's one and only goal, with Matt Pilkington's team not able to find an equalizer despite taking 18 shots and putting four on target – Huntsville goalkeeper Ben Martino made three saves and was the match's highest-rated player, according to Fotmob.
The Baby Blues finished in Sixth Place in the Eastern Conference, tied on 45 points with Columbus Crew 2, Crown Legacy FC, and Chattanooga FC. NYCFC II’s 11 victories and +11 goal difference meant they topped that 45-point pack and were seeded sixth in the Eastern Conference.
The 1-0 Decision Day defeat to second-to-bottom Huntsville City and the fact that the Baby Blues only made the playoffs through the wins tie-breaker is indicative of the struggling form the team has endured in the final stretch of the season.
For much of the campaign, NYCFC II sat higher in the Eastern Conference and, after 17 games, they had an impressive 1.94 points per game. If sustained through the season, that would have topped top-seeded FC Cincinnati 2's 1.93 points per game.
Instead, the Baby Blues ended with 1.61 points per game– a substantial drop off from their early- to mid-season form. Going into the playoffs, NYCFC II have only mustered two wins in their last twelve matches – form that doesn't promise much success come playoff time.
MLS NEXT Pro has a niche playoff system. For those unfamiliar, the league uses a “Pick-Your-Opponent” system where the top seeds in each conference get to choose who they play.
Being seeded sixth, NYCFC II does not get to choose opponents and, given their form, they might be a favorable first-round matchup for the very top seeds.
That’s a wrap on the regular season 🎬
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) October 7, 2024
The MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs are next, starting with pick-your-opponent selections based on this seeding.
📌 https://t.co/IZFhO0W98w pic.twitter.com/cNdkeSO2VK
The Baby Blues have the chance to be matched up against FC Cincinnati 2, Philadelphia Union II, Inter Miami CF II, or Chicago Fire FC II. The top three seeds get to choose opponents from the teams seeded from fifth through eighth, and the fourth seed plays the remaining unselected team.
Each MLS NEXT Pro playoff round is a single elimination game, and the top advancing seeds again get to select opponents in the Conference Semifinal round.
On a positive note for the Baby Blues, they have matched up well against these opponents, splitting the season series with Philadelphia and Miami while going undefeated against Cincinnati and Chicago.
The picking of opponents is taking place on Tuesday, October 8th at 2 pm Eastern time for the Eastern Conference. The first round of matches, the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, will then take place between October 18-20.
That will see the Baby Blues play in their first postseason match in three years of existence, but they'll need to improve on their late-season form if they're to play a second postseason match this year.
