NYCFC Update: On to the Playoffs!

New York City FC tied the Columbus Crew 2-2 this past Sunday on the annual MLS Decision Day when all games kick off at once to determine the final regular season standings. This result was good enough to secure the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket and automatically move the team past the first round for the second consecutive season.

NYCFC fans were thrilled with the outcome, considering that the team could have finished anywhere between 2nd and 5th place depending on the outcome of two other matches.

New York City will travel to play the first leg of their playoff matchup on October 31 against an opponent that will be determined with the knockout round games (Chicago Fire vs. New York Red Bulls, Atlanta United vs. Columbus Crew) played on Wednesday and Thursday. The second leg will be played at Yankee Stadium on November 5. NYCFC is looking to shake off last season’s playoff disaster in which they lost 7-0 on aggregate to Toronto FC.

With two more goals against Columbus bringing his season tally to 22, David Villa became the first player in MLS history to score 20 goals in back-to-back seasons. Needless to say, he’s still pretty good at this football thing.

Manchester City loanee Yangel Herrera continues to be a fixture in the NYCFC starting lineup and is in good form, displaying an intelligence and physicality rare for a player of 19 years old. He will almost certainly start in both legs of New York City’s playoff legs for any Manchester City fans interested in getting a look at what the future may hold.