New York City FC secured back-to-back Major League Soccer victories on Saturday night with an impressive 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire at Yankee Stadium. Goals from Nicolás Fernández Mercau, Agustín Ojeda, and Malachi Jones powered the Boys in Blue to three points, while goalkeeper Matt Freese delivered another strong performance between the posts.
The victory marked Head Coach Pascal Jansen’s 30th win across all competitions and his 15th home victory since taking charge of New York City FC. It also lifted NYCFC to a 7-6-4 record (25 points), keeping the club firmly in the race for the Eastern Conference playoff positions.
Fernández Mercau continued his outstanding season by opening the scoring with another spectacular finish. The Argentine midfielder notched his 15th MLS regular-season goal for New York City FC and has now found the back of the net in three consecutive league matches. His 12 goals this season rank among the league’s best and continue to fuel NYCFC’s attack.
Ojeda doubled the advantage later in the contest, finishing off an excellent move after being set up by Malachi Jones. The goal marked Ojeda’s fifth of the MLS season and his 10th across all competitions for the club. The Argentine attacker has now recorded both a goal and an assist in consecutive league matches, highlighting his growing influence in the final third.
The night’s most emotional moment belonged to Jones.
After suffering a fractured leg during a match against Orlando City SC in June 2024, Jones completed his remarkable comeback by scoring his first MLS regular-season goal since returning from injury. His strike also capped an outstanding individual performance that included his first assist of the 2026 league campaign, as he played a key role in two of New York City’s three goals.
Midfielder Andrés Perea also enjoyed a memorable evening, recording the first multi-assist performance of his MLS career. His two assists tied a career high for a single regular season and helped orchestrate one of NYCFC’s most complete attacking displays of the year.
Defensively, Matt Freese once again proved his value, making five saves while surpassing 300 career MLS regular-season saves. His timely stops helped preserve the lead as Chicago searched for a second-half comeback.
Saturday’s victory also continued New York City’s dominance over Chicago. NYCFC improved to 14-3-8 all-time against the Fire and extended its unbeaten streak in the regular-season series to seven matches (5-0-2). At Yankee Stadium, the club remains unbeaten against Chicago with an impressive 10-0-3 record.
With momentum building and key contributors finding top form, New York City FC heads into the next stretch of the MLS season with growing confidence as the club looks to continue its climb up the Eastern Conference standings.
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