New York City FC vs 25.07.26 23:303 – 1Full Time
Chicago Fire — Major League Soccer: stats, lineups & analysis
Match report
New York City FC blitz Chicago Fire with three first-half goals
New York City FC beat Chicago Fire 3-1 in a Major League Soccer Regular Season - 17 fixture at Yankee Stadium, with the outcome effectively settled inside the opening 41 minutes. All four goals of the contest arrived in the first half, leaving the second 45 as a formality for Pascal Jansen's side.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Nicolás Fernández Mercau put the hosts ahead in the 10th minute, but Chicago responded quickly through Joel Waterman, who converted an Anton Salétros assist in the 21st minute to level the score at 1-1. New York City FC then seized control, with A. Ojeda restoring the lead in the 29th minute off a pass from Andrés Perea. M. Jones added a third just before the break, finishing an Ojeda assist in the 41st minute to make it 3-1 at half-time, a scoreline that held to the final whistle.
Despite conceding less possession, 47 percent to Chicago's 53, New York City FC were the more clinical side, and the match statistics reflected a tightly balanced contest in shots and expected goals despite the lopsided scoreline. Chicago committed considerably more fouls and picked up three yellow cards to New York City FC's one, pointing to a physical response as they chased the game after falling behind.
Fernández Mercau opened the scoring and earned an 8.5 rating, while Ojeda matched that mark with a goal and an assist as he combined repeatedly with Perea and Jones in the first-half surge.
Chicago's 16 fouls to New York City FC's eight underlined a increasingly physical Chicago response as the scoreline moved away from them.
New York City FC beat Chicago Fire 3–1 (half-time 3–1).
New York City FC met Chicago Fire in the Major League Soccer (Regular Season - 17). Kick-off was Saturday, 25 July 2026, 23:30 UTC at Yankee Stadium. Referee: Ricardo Montero.
Team pages: New York City FC · Chicago Fire · Major League Soccer
Key moments
- 10' Goal: Nicolás Fernández Mercau — 1–0
- 21' Goal: Joel Waterman (assist: Anton Salétros) — 1–1
- 29' Goal: Axel Ojeda (assist: Andrés Perea) — 2–1
- 41' Goal: Malachi Jones (assist: Axel Ojeda) — 3–1
Starting line-ups
New York City FC (4-1-4-1)
Chicago Fire (4-4-2)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave New York City FC 52%, the draw 24%, Chicago Fire 24%. It finished New York City FC 3–1 Chicago Fire.
Level sides, home ground swings it — Nothing separates them on our strength rating, and Major League Soccer home advantage gives New York City FC the lean. The draw at 24% is held down by a high-scoring environment.
Why New York City FC in front?
Home ground, mostly. Almost nothing between them on our strength rating — 1640 to 1591. Sides this close won 45.6% of 14,392 home games (draw 26.5%, visitors 27.9%). Major League Soccer home sides out-perform the global norm — and the difference mostly flows to away wins (25.8% vs 30.2%). Major League Soccer homes won 49.5% of 5,039 games vs 44.9% across all 98,308 — outside the noise band, so the tally moves accordingly.
Why only 52%?
Because on our strength rating there is nothing in it. Level sides split the rest: the draw at 24% and Chicago Fire at 24%.
Why the draw at 24%?
Between sides this level the draw starts at 26.5%. These teams' recent games average 3.4 goals — a high-scoring environment. Games in that environment drew 22.8% of 16,708. The goals environment takes 2.2 points off the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
New York City FC are missing 3 regular starters — Maximiliano Moralez, K. Trewin, Aiden O'Neill — about 28% of their usual starting-XI weight. A body count alone told us nothing. Chicago Fire are winless in their last 12 visits to New York City FC. "Cursed ground" stories don't survive the receipts: winless visitors won 20.5% of 5,590 return visits vs 21.4% class-expected — the rating's own read already covers it.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the New York City FC vs Chicago Fire final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Major League Soccer fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from New York City FC 3–1 Chicago Fire. Explore more on the New York City FC and Chicago Fire team pages or the Major League Soccer page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of New York City FC vs Chicago Fire?
New York City FC beat Chicago Fire 3–1 (half-time 3–1).
›Who scored in New York City FC vs Chicago Fire?
Nicolás Fernández Mercau (10') for New York City FC; Joel Waterman (21') for Chicago Fire; Axel Ojeda (29') for New York City FC; Malachi Jones (41') for New York City FC.
›Where can I watch New York City FC vs Chicago Fire highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from New York City FC 3–1 Chicago Fire are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.
›What is the head-to-head record between New York City FC and Chicago Fire?
New York City FC and Chicago Fire have met 10 times — 6 wins for New York City FC, 1 win for Chicago Fire and 3 draws.