BRONX, N.Y. — Don Henley, a founding member of the Eagles, once sang "In a New York minute, everything can change" in his solo hit aptly titled "New York Minute".
That can certainly apply to a soccer match played on the diamond at Yankee Stadium, in the heart of the Bronx.
Charlotte FC was on the road to take on New York City FC on more familiar turf, albeit with part of the diamond painted to accommodate a soccer pitch. Up until now, the black and blue had never lost a match against NYC. But the home team was able to hit back.
Kerwin Vargas got the scoring started early, finding the net just three minutes in for Charlotte. But New York midfielder Keaton Parks answered just minutes before halftime, assisted by fellow midfielder Julián Fernández.
The action after halftime was largely stagnant. All three of the yellow cards of the night went to Charlotte FC players, two of them in the second half. Time ticked on and it seemed that the match would end in a draw.
But Alonso Martínez and Santiago Rodríguez joined forces to secure the second goal of the night for New York, with Rodríguez aiding Martínez. The ball hit the net after three minutes of stoppage time. And the clock ticked on further into stoppage time.
After 90 minutes of match time and 11 more of stoppage time, Charlotte FC couldn't even the board again. New York City found its first win against the black and blue, 2-1, in the heart of the Bronx.
Charlotte is back at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, May 4, to host the Portland Timbers. The black and blue may need to use the Force to win during the appropriately-themed Star Wars night, which will see the first fans in the stadium gifted a foam lightsaber of their own.