Real Salt Lake 0-2 New York City: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
MLS · Sunday 13 September 2026 · America First Field, Sandy · referee A. Ndiaye · full time
Full time: Real Salt Lake 0-2 New York City
New York City won 2-0 away at Real Salt Lake in MLS on Sunday 13 September 2026. The goals: Nicolás Fernández Mercau 41', Luighi 61'.
How New York City won it
The opening goal came in the 41st minute: Nicolás Fernández Mercau for New York City, set up by Agustín Ojeda. Luighi made it 0-2 to New York City in the 61st minute, set up by Agustín Ojeda.
It was 0-1 at half-time.
The referee, A. Ndiaye, showed 4 yellow cards: 2 to Real Salt Lake and 2 to New York City.
Real Salt Lake: P. Mastroeni, 3-4-3 · New York City: P. Jansen, 4-3-3.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 0.38 for Real Salt Lake and 1.29 for New York City.
Real Salt Lake had 6 shots on target, New York City 3.
New York City's goalkeeper made 6 saves.
Real Salt Lake had 53% of the ball, but New York City took the points.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Real Salt Lake came into it with 31 MLS matches played, scoring 1.6 and conceding 1.6 a match, with 1.47 expected goals for and 1.64 against, and had won 35% of their matches.
New York City came into it with 31 MLS matches played, scoring 1.4 and conceding 1.4 a match, with 1.51 expected goals for and 1.43 against, and had won 26% of their matches.
Real Salt Lake vs New York City: the match in numbers
| Real Salt Lake | Match statistics | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| 53% | Ball possession | 47% |
| 0.38 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.29 |
| 15 | Total shots | 6 |
| 6 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 1 | Big chances | 0 |
| 511 | Total passes | 470 |
| 85% | Pass accuracy | 81% |
| 10 | Corners | 1 |
| 18 | Fouls | 11 |
| 1 | Offsides | 0 |
| 13 | Tackles | 20 |
| 1 | Saves | 6 |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 2 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Matt Freese (New York City), rated 8.0 by Sportmonks.
Real Salt Lake
- Noel Caliskan 7.1
- Aiden Hezarkhani 7.0
- Juan Manuel Sanabria 7.0
- Morgan Guilavogui 6.8
- Juan Jose Arias 6.7
New York City
- Matt Freese 8.0
- Agustín Ojeda 8.0 2 assists
- Nicolás Fernández Mercau 8.0 1 goal
- Tayvon Gray 7.4
- James Sands 7.3
The lowest-rated starter was Philip Quinton at 6.2. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Real Salt Lake: Austin vs Real Salt Lake Thursday 29 October 2026 · MLS
- New York City: New York City vs Atlanta United Wednesday 28 October 2026 · MLS
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Real Salt Lake vs New York City
What was the score in Real Salt Lake vs New York City?
Real Salt Lake 0-2 New York City (half-time 0-1), MLS, Sunday 13 September 2026.
Who scored in Real Salt Lake vs New York City?
Nicolás Fernández Mercau 41', Luighi 61'.
Did Moneyball predict Real Salt Lake vs New York City correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Real Salt Lake vs New York City?
Matt Freese, rated 8.0 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Real Salt Lake vs New York City?
A. Ndiaye.
Every match, before and after
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