It’s Match Day 25, and New York City FC play expansion side Charlotte FC for the first time in club history.
While it’s not quite a must-win game for New York City, it’s something like a better-win: NYCFC could finish the season in first or second place in the Eastern Conference if they correct course and stop giving away results, and that would begin with a win today at home Red Bull Arena.
Charlotte are putting together the best inaugural season since Atlanta United finished 2017 in fourth place with 55 points. They sit in 11th place, just four points behind a playoff spot, and their nine wins are more than what Columbus, New England, or Atlanta have managed this year.