Match Recap: CT United FC Falls to NYCFC II in Tri-State Derby

New Haven, Conn. (June 26, 2026) — CT United FC saw its two-match winning streak come to an end Friday night, falling 4-1 to NYCFC II at Reese Stadium in MLS NEXT Pro action.

The opening stages were tightly contested, with both sides combining for just one shot through the first 15 minutes. NYCFC II broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when a clearance inside the box fell to Jonathan Lopez, who finished into the bottom corner for the visitors.

The Coywolves responded quickly.

Just eight minutes later, Dylan Lacy slipped Daniel D'Ippolito into the penalty area who squared the ball to Barnabás Tanyi for the finish. Tanyi’s fourth goal in as many matches leveled the score at 1-1 and continued his impressive run of form.

CT United nearly reached halftime level after a remarkable defensive stand in first-half stoppage time. Following a shot off the post, Gunther Rankenburg made back-to-back point-blank saves before Michael Boamah cleared a third rebound off the goal line. Moments later, however, Sebastiano Musu found the winner with a finish from the middle of the box to give NYCFC II a 2-1 halftime lead.

The visitors extended their advantage in the second half as Camilo Ponce struck from outside the area in the 68th minute before Musu added his second goal of the night two minutes later.

CT United continued to push for a way back into the match and earned a numerical advantage when Lopez was sent off in the 81st minute after receiving his second yellow card. Despite creating eight corner kicks and finishing just one shot behind NYCFC II overall (14-13), the Coywolves were unable to find another breakthrough.

The defeat was just CT United's second in its last six MLS NEXT Pro matches. The Coywolves will look to bounce back on July 5 when they host Carolina Core FC in New Haven.

CONNECTICUT UNITED FC GAME REPORT  

NYCFC II vs CT United FC  

Date: June 26, 2026   

Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season  

Venue: Reese Stadium | New Haven, CT 

Kickoff: 7:03 p.m. ET   

Weather: 77 degrees, Sunny 

SCORING SUMMARY: 1-4-FT  

CTU: 2-2-4 

NYC: 2-2-4 

NYC – Jonathan Lopez 20’, Sebastiano Musu (Drew Kerr) 45+2’ , Juan Ponce (Sebastiano Musu) 68’, Sebastiano Musu (Elhadji Samb) 70’ 

CTU – Barnabás Tanyi (Daniel D’Ippolito) 28’ 

LINEUPS   

CTU: Gunther Rankenburg, Andre Applewhaite (Cauã Paixão 78’), Lukas Kamrath, Michael Boamah, Giovanni Corsetti (Jeremy Medranda 54’), Dylan Lacy, Niko Koloniaris (Sean Petrie 72’), Ernesto Gómez, Alex Monis (C), Barnabas Tanyi (Hivan Kouonang 71’), Daniel D’Ippolito (Laurie Goddard 54’) 

Substitutes not used: Ayden Wolanski, Anthony Ramos, Jahvar Stephenson, Edgar Cuenca 

Head Coach: Shavar Thomas  

NYC: Brennan Klein, Jonathan Lopez, Kamran Acito, Joāo Loiola, Adonis Campos, Joe Suchecki (C), Cooper Flax, Drew Kerr (Elhadij Samb 45’) (Eóin Martin 84’), David Duque (James Bilden 58’), Camilo Ponce, Sebastiano Musu 

 Substitutes not used: Gil De Souza, Dylan Randazzo, Lucas De Pinho, Dylan McDermott, Eóin Martin, Niccolo Vafiades 

 Head Coach: Matt Pilkington 

STATS SUMMARY: NYC/CTU  

Shots: 14 / 13 

Shots on Goal: 10 / 4  

Saves: 3 / 5  

Corner Kicks: 2 / 8  

Fouls: 12 / 13  

Offside: 2 / 1  

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY  

NYC: Jonathan Lopez (Yellow Card) 21’  

CTU: Dylan Lacy (Yellow Card) 49’  

CTU: Sean Petrie (Yellow Card) 78’ 

NYC: Jonathan Lopez (Second Yellow Card) 81’  

NYC: Cooper Flax (Yellow Card) 82’ 

NYC: Adonis Campos (Yellow Card) 90+2’ 

OFFICIALS  

Referee: Jeremy Scheer 

Ast. Referees: Nicholas Seymour, Jessica Carnevale 

Fourth Official: Jennifer Dumaine