And then — in fifteen minutes — everything fell apart. Two goals for Miami, a final score of 2:3, and Lionel Messi leaving the field with another victory in his pocket. For a nearly packed Yankee Stadium, it was a match that reminded everyone why this game can break your heart.
Four minutes and a wake-up call
Inter Miami didn’t wait for an invitation. Already in the fourth minute, the visitors took the lead, and Yankee Stadium — packed to the brim — fell silent for a moment. But NYCFC responded quickly: in the seventeenth minute, the hosts equalized at 1:1, and from that moment, the match turned into an open, fast-paced duel where both teams sought more goals. The first half ended in a draw, but the tempo and intensity promised that the second half would be different.
Fifteen minutes that changed everything
The crucial part of the match unfolded between the 59th and 74th minutes. In the 59th minute, NYCFC took a 2:1 lead — the stands erupted, and Polish fans, who were to return home on the G line after the match, could taste victory over Messi’s team. But the joy lasted exactly two minutes. In the 61st minute, Inter Miami equalized at 2:2, and thirteen minutes later — in the 74th — scored the goal for 2:3, which proved to be the winner. From leading to losing in a quarter of an hour. Football in its purest, most painful form.
Match statistics leave no doubt as to who controlled the game. Inter Miami had 56% possession compared to NYCFC’s 44%. The visitors took nineteen shots (eight on target) against NYCFC’s nine (five on target). NYCFC goalkeeper Tomás Romero saved five shots — without his interventions, the score could have been even more severe. Miami collected four yellow cards, which indicates the intensity and tough play from both sides.
For the price of two dinners — Messi live
Tickets for Sunday’s match started at several dozen dollars — less than two dinners at a Polish restaurant in Brooklyn. And for that price, you could see the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, probably the best footballer in history, live. This time, Luis Suárez watched the entire match from the substitutes’ bench, but Messi himself in the lineup was enough to turn the tide of the game.
In the 2026 season, NYCFC plays seventeen home matches — ten at Yankee Stadium, four at Citi Field, and three at locations yet to be confirmed. In 2027, the club is set to move to its own stadium, Etihad Park. But for now, Yankee Stadium is NYCFC’s home — and one of the few places in New York where a Polish flag in the stands is nothing out of the ordinary.
Table and what’s next
After five rounds of the MLS 2026 season, NYCFC has a record of three wins, one draw, and one loss — this Sunday’s defeat to Miami was their first loss of the season. The team’s form is solid: previously, NYCFC crushed Orlando City 5:0 and defeated Colorado Rapids 3:1 at home. The loss to Miami hurts, but it doesn’t change the image of a team that is playing well and collecting points.
NYCFC’s next home match: Saturday, April 4, 7:30 PM ET — against Saint Louis City SC at Yankee Stadium. The next New York derby (NYCFC vs New York Red Bulls) is scheduled for Saturday, May 16 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ.
Editorial Team, Głos Polonii w USA
Piłka Polonii — a weekly football column on poland.us. We follow NYCFC, Chicago Fire, Inter Miami, and Polish-American clubs in America. Looking for a Polish business in the USA? PolishPages.com.
