SANDY, Utah — New York City FC needed a response. On Saturday night in Utah, the Boys in Blue finally delivered one.
NYCFC earned an important 2-0 road victory over Real Salt Lake at America First Field, with Nico Fernández Mercau and Luighi providing the goals while goalkeeper Matt Freese delivered a six-save clean sheet.
Coming off a frustrating stretch of results, including Wednesday’s 2-1 home loss to the New England Revolution, NYCFC weathered early pressure from Real Salt Lake before finding its breakthrough.
Freese was instrumental in making sure the visitors had that opportunity.
Making his 100th MLS regular-season appearance for NYCFC, the goalkeeper produced several key stops during the opening half as RSL pushed for an early advantage. Freese ultimately finished with six saves and his fifth clean sheet of the season.
NYCFC then made the hosts pay.
Fernández Mercau opened the scoring with a superbly executed set-piece goal, continuing a remarkable first season in New York. The Argentine now leads NYCFC with 15 goals and sits tied for third in the MLS Golden Boot race.
Seven of his goals have come from set pieces, while six have been scored from outside the penalty area.
The goal was also the product of work on the training ground. Head Coach Pascal Jansen said afterward that NYCFC had specifically practiced the free-kick routine and praised the execution when it mattered.
New York doubled its advantage after halftime.
Agustín Ojeda found space before cutting the ball back for Luighi, who fired home to make it 2-0. Ojeda was credited with assists on both NYCFC goals, bringing his team-leading total to nine for the season.
Luighi, meanwhile, continued his recent surge.
The Brazilian has now scored four MLS regular-season goals and has found the net in consecutive matches after also scoring against New England on Wednesday. It is already the second time this season Luighi has produced goals in back-to-back league appearances.
Real Salt Lake applied significant pressure late, but this time NYCFC didn’t surrender its advantage.
That was particularly significant for a team that has repeatedly dropped points from winning positions. Jansen acknowledged after the match that NYCFC had already conceded six goals in second-half stoppage time this season, making Saturday’s ability to close out the victory particularly encouraging.
The night also brought an emotional milestone.
Alonso Martínez entered during the second half for his first NYCFC appearance since suffering an ACL injury in November 2025. The appearance was his 75th for the club across all competitions.
Jansen described Martínez’s return as a major boost after watching the forward endure months of rehabilitation.
With the victory, NYCFC improved to 8-9-8 and moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Jansen also collected his 25th MLS regular-season victory as NYCFC head coach and his 10th away from home.
For a club trying to steady itself entering the stretch run, however, three points and a clean sheet may matter more than any individual milestone.
Next comes another significant test: the Hudson River Derby against the New York Red Bulls.
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