Maxi Moralez scored a penalty and provided two assists as New York City FC secured a 5-0 win over Orlando City on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Keaton Parks added two goals in the second half, contributing to NYCFC’s strong performance in their home opener.
With this victory, NYCFC (2-0-1, 7 points) has a remarkable record of 9 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses in home openers. They also registered their seventh clean sheet in these matches, scoring five goals in a home opener for just the second time in team history, the first being in 2021 against FC Cincinnati.
The match changed early when Orlando’s goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was shown a red card for handling the ball outside the box in the 21st minute. His dismissal meant Orlando had to rely on Javier Otero and play with 10 men for the rest of the game.
Nicolas Fernandez netted a goal in the 42nd minute and was also involved in the play that led to Moralez’s penalty kick.
Moralez recorded his fifth game with three or more goal contributions, the first instance since he achieved three assists against FC Cincinnati on June 29, 2022.
Parks scored twice early in the second half, capitalizing on two clear mistakes by Orlando’s defense. NYCFC almost netted a sixth goal, but Talles Magno was flagged offside in the 74th minute.
NYCFC dominated the match, holding 68.2% possession while goalkeeper Matt Freese only had to make one save. His only save came on a shot from Duncan McGuire in the 51st minute, just after Parks scored his first goal.
Orlando (0-3-0) is experiencing its worst start in history, having lost all three matches and being outscored 11-3 in total, including defeats to Inter Miami and the New York Red Bulls.
After Crepeau’s exit, NYCFC quickly regained control, and Ojeda scored from close range following a pass from Moralez. Fernandez’s header from the penalty area doubled the lead, and Moralez rounded off the first half by converting a penalty kick in stoppage time.