Spectacular Fernández and Luighi Strikes Snap NYCFC's Winless Streak at RSL
September 12, 2026. America First Field, Sandy, Utah
New York City FC snapped an eight-match winless streak across all competitions, securing a crucial 2-0 road victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday night. The victory at America First Field provided a massive sigh of relief for the visitors, injecting vital momentum back into their MLS postseason push while extending RSL's own winless slide to 11 matches.
The opening half began as a challenging defensive test for the Boys in Blue. Real Salt Lake controlled long stretches of early play and applied heavy pressure, forcing NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese to make several big saves to keep the match scoreless. However, New York City weathered the storm and dramatically altered the momentum in the 41st minute. Capitalizing on a clever set-piece routine, Agustín Ojeda rolled a short free kick to Nicolás Fernández, who took one touch and curled a brilliant left-footed strike from 25 yards into the top-left corner to establish a 1-0 halftime advantage.
Real Salt Lake opened the second half aggressively in search of an equalizer, but Freese remained impenetrable, turning away a dangerous early look from Juan Manuel Sanabria. After soaking up the hosts' initial push, NYCFC struck against the run of play in the 62nd minute. Tayvon Gray ignited a quick counter-attack by finding Ojeda in stride down the pitch. Outpacing his defender, Ojeda drove deep into the box and squared a perfect low cross to forward Luighi, who buried a first-time shot into the back of the net. New York City's defense stood tall against RSL's late, desperate attempts, sealing the clean sheet and a desperately needed three points.
With the victory, New York City FC remains seventh in the Eastern Conference, only two points behind Orlando City for sixth place in the East.
Real Salt Lake 0, New York City FC 2
Scoring Summary:
NYCFC - Nicolás Fernández 41' (Ojeda)
NYCFC - Luighi 62' (Ojeda)
Real Salt Lake Lineup (5-4-1): Rafael Cabral; DeAndre Yedlin, Juan Jose Arias, Philip Quinton, Alexandros Katranis, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Morgan Guilavogui, Noel Caliskan, Luca Moisa, Saba Lobjanidze; Sergi Solans
Substitutes Used:
🔄 Kobi Henry – Entered in the 56th minute for Juan Jose Arias.
🔄 Colin Guske – Entered in the 56th minute for Luca Moisa.
🔄 Aiden Hezarkhani – Entered in the 66th minute for Philip Quinton.
🔄 Lineker Rodrigues – Entered in the 66th minute for Sergi Solans.
🔄 Taylor Booth – Entered in the 75th minute for Morgan Guilavogui.
Unused Subs: Mason Stajduhar, Jason Shokalook, Emeka Eneli, Ruben Mesalles.
New York City FC (4-3-3): Matt Freese; Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins, James Sands, Nico Cavallo; Nicolás Fernández, Andrés Perea, Jonathan Shore; Agustín Ojeda, Luighi, Hannes Wolf
Substitutes Used:
🔄 Bénie Traoré – Entered in the 71st minute for Luighi.
🔄 Kevin O'Toole – Entered in the 79th minute for Nico Cavallo.
🔄 Aiden O'Neill – Entered in the 79th minute for Jonathan Shore.
🔄 Alonso Martínez – Entered in the 87th minute for Hannes Wolf.
Unused Subs: Tomás Romero, Raul Gustavo, Mitja Ilenič, Max Murray, Malachi Jones.
Match Statistics:
Possession: RSL 53% - NYCFC 47%
Total Shots: RSL 15 - NYCFC 6
Shots on Goal: RSL 6 - NYCFC 3
Offsides: RSL 1 - NYCFC 0
Fouls Committed: RSL 18 - NYCFC 11
Corner Kicks: RSL 10 - NYCFC 1
Saves: RSL 1 - NYCFC 6
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