New York City FC host Charlotte FC on Saturday, April 18, at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens, with the home side trying to stop a winless run in its last three Major League Soccer games. NYCFC also enters the match with four players out because of leg injuries, a list that includes Drew Baiera, Alonso Martínez, Max Murray and Andrés Perea.
The timing is sharp for a team that badly needs three points and has already shown some scoring punch this week. NYCFC beat Westchester SC 5-2 in the U.S. Open Cup during the week before the Charlotte match, but that cup result has not changed the pressure in league play, where the club has gone without a win for three straight MLS outings.
There is still a recent blueprint for handling Charlotte. The last time the teams met came in the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 series, when NYCFC eliminated Charlotte by winning the third fixture to move on. New York City has won three of the last four meetings overall, and the only true loss in that span came in the first meeting of 2025. The second postseason meeting ended level before NYCFC fell in a penalty kick shootout.
That history gives Saturday’s game an edge beyond the standings. Charlotte arrives with a chance to answer for the playoff exit, while NYCFC has to manage its injuries and get more from the attack. Nicolás Fernández Mercau opened the year with five goals in four of the first five matches, but he has failed to score in his last three. Pep Biel has supplied four goals and two assists in the regular season and remains one of Charlotte’s most dangerous threats.
Weather could also shape the night, with the forecast calling for cold, cloudy conditions around 52 degrees and humidity near 80%. For NYCFC, the math is simple enough: the team needs a result at home, and it needs one now.