Jansen searching for answers after NYCFC’s ‘inexcusable’ loss to Philadelphia

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Pascal Jansen admitted New York City FC’s second-half collapse against the Philadelphia Union was “inexcusable” with his team facing a quick turnaround ahead of playing FC Cincinnati.

NYCFC were 2-0 up and cruising after a strong first half against the Union, but they conceded three second-half goals to throw away all three points at the weekend.

It was their first loss in MLS since returning from the World Cup break, following a disappointing Leagues Cup campaign in which they won just one of their three group games.

NYCFC are still in the Eastern Conference playoff places, sitting seventh, but when asked what happened against Philadelphia, Jansen conceded he was stumped.

“I don’t have an answer,” he said. “Never expected what I saw in the second half.

“Sometimes you can drop a level; that can happen, but what happened in the second half is something to be ashamed of.

“When you’re controlling the game, like we did in the first half without any issues, maybe once or twice where we got caught off guard, but from 2-0 up, you keep a clean sheet.

“Within a couple of minutes [of the restart, the ball is] in the back of the net, but what happens after is inexcusable.”

Cincinnati are one point and one place better off than NYCFC in the East, having let a lead of their own slip in a 1-1 draw with Orlando City SC.

Pat Noonan’s side struggled to match Orlando, who have a strong home record this season, but he believes the draw was a fair result.

“These guys put everything into that game, and you could see it at the end, just the physical toll that it took on everybody on both sides,” Noonan said.

“Orlando’s a strong team and in good form, and I think the way the game played out, it felt fair.

“I think it showed the extreme of, as the game opened up, how hard it is for the guys to recover from mistakes or a move breaking down, but we have to be okay with a point.”

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) August 17, 2026

Evander has been a leading light for Cincinnati in 2026, sitting joint-top of their scoring charts (11 goals, level with Kevin Denkey), and getting 11 assists, more than any of his team-mates.

While he failed to score against Orlando last time out, he racked up three assists and a goal in their last home match – a 4-2 win over the San Jose Earthquakes – creating seven chances overall in that game.

Luighi Hanri’s penalty put NYCFC in a commanding position against Philadelphia, only for the team to collapse during the second half.

He finished that match with a team-high four shots and eight touches in the opposition box, while he also won 11 of his 22 contested duels, both also team-high figures.

MATCH PREDICTION: FC CINCINNATI WIN

NYCFC are unbeaten in their last five MLS matches against Cincinnati, in a run dating all the way back to October 2024.

The most recent meeting between the pair ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw in April, with Evander’s 95th-minute penalty snatching a late point for Cincinnati, who scored twice in stoppage time.

Cincinnati have lost just one of their last six matches in MLS, though, and have won each of their last three at home, scoring 14 goals in that span since their 5-3 loss to Inter Miami.

As for NYCFC, after returning from the World Cup break with back-to-back wins, they are now winless in their last two (D1 L1), letting a strong lead slip against Philadelphia last time out.

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