Columbus Crew End NYCFC’s Open Cup Dream Behind Arfsten’s Moment of Magic
The opportunity was sitting right there for New York City FC.
Ninety minutes away from the club’s first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal appearance. A chance to keep a trophy chase alive. A chance to build real momentum during one of their better stretches of the season.
Instead, they’re heading back to New York wondering how a match that always felt within reach slipped away so quietly.
A second-half strike from Max Arfsten was enough to send the Columbus Crew past NYCFC in a tense 1-0 quarterfinal win Wednesday night in Ohio, ending New York City’s Open Cup run and exposing the razor-thin margin that separated the two sides all night.
And honestly, the most frustrating part for NYCFC might be this: they never truly looked outclassed. Just out-finished.
“We’re all sad because we were all very focused on putting ourselves in a good position to go to the semifinal,” head coach Pascal Jansen said afterward. “That is something that we didn’t achieve.”
For long stretches, this had the feel of a classic knockout game. Physical. Tight. One mistake deciding everything.
NYCFC actually created the first major opening of the night in the 12th minute when Andrés Perea found himself with space in front of goal, only to drag his shot wide. Those are the moments you remember in cup matches because they tend to come back later.
They did.
Columbus slowly tightened control as the match wore on, leaning into their possession-heavy identity and forcing NYCFC deeper and deeper defensively. Matt Freese kept the visitors alive with another standout performance, stopping multiple first-half chances and bailing out his defense repeatedly as the Crew piled up pressure.
By the end of the night, Columbus had put eight shots on target.
NYCFC had zero.
That stat alone tells most of the story.
Still, despite the imbalance in attacking quality, the game remained deadlocked until the 59th minute when Arfsten produced the one moment NYCFC couldn’t survive. The Crew winger created just enough separation with a hesitation move before curling a left-footed strike beyond Freese and into the corner.
Simple on paper. Brutal in reality.
“There’s one minor mistake in defensive principle,” Jansen said. “We get punished for that moment.”
That’s what makes knockout soccer cruel. One lapse, one missed rotation, one second of hesitation, and months of work disappear.
To NYCFC’s credit, they tried to respond aggressively. Jansen threw four substitutes into the match midway through the second half, searching for energy and directness. Malachi Jones brought physicality. Máximo Carrizo added urgency. Arnau Farnós attempted to spark something from distance.
Nothing ever truly tested Columbus goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen.
And if not for Freese, the final score could have looked far worse. The goalkeeper came up with another huge stop late against Jamal Thiaré and watched Hugo Picard hit the post moments earlier. Freese has quietly become one of the most important players on this roster, and Wednesday only reinforced that reality.
But the bigger concern for NYCFC goes beyond one elimination.
The injuries are beginning to stack up at the worst possible time.
Maxi Moralez missed the match after getting hurt in the Hudson River Derby draw against the Red Bulls. Keaton Parks suffered a groin issue during warmups Wednesday night, forcing a last-minute lineup adjustment. Earlier this season, Talles Magno also picked up a pregame injury.
Jansen didn’t sound panicked afterward, but he did acknowledge the toll the schedule is taking.
“When you have to play multiple games in a short period of time, that puts more pressure on the roster in general,” he said.
That pressure now shifts entirely toward MLS play.
Because after Wednesday night, one path to silverware is officially gone.
And for a club still trying to prove it belongs among the league’s true contenders again, that stings.