Matt Mangam

Maxi Moralez has consistently come up big in important games for New York City FC.

The 39-year-old midfielder was the star of NYCFC’s 3-1 win over Red Bull New York in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16, totaling three corner-kick assists as his side got their first-ever win in an elimination game against their bitter rivals.

Moralez, who was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round, is the seventh player since 1995 — start of Modern Era — to record three assists in a single Open Cup game and the first since 2005. 

Moralez is the seventh player from Argentina to win the award and the first since Lionel Messi who carried Inter Miami CF to the Final by assisting on two key goals and scored in the PK shootout that eliminated FC Cincinnati in the 2023 Semifinals.

“We train every single day the free kicks, the set pieces, and today we have three big chances, three scores,” Moralez said after the game. “We are so happy with this.” 

TheCup.us Player of the Round is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) from TheCup.us’ Patreon team.

Moralez got NYCFC started early with a corner kick in the ninth minute that was headed home by Kai Trewin, marking the first goal the club has scored against the Red Bulls in an elimination game.

After the Red Bulls’ 18-year-old wonderkid Julian Hall leveled things five minutes later, Moralez was influential on New York City’s final two goals, delivering the corner-kick crosses that were scored by Raul Gustavo and Thiago Martins. 

Moralez beat out Eduard Löwen of St. Louis CITY SC for the award in what was a two-man race for the award. Löwen came off the bench in the second half, assisted on the equalizer, and then scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 road win over the Chicago Fire.

Those assists were Moralez’s fifth, sixth, and seventh all-time against the Red Bulls, a Hudson River Derby record. Additionally, Moralez’s five goals in the rivalry are tied with Taty Castellanos and David Villa for the most by a New York City player, trailing only Bradley Wright-Phillips’s 12 goals in the rivalry.

Beau Leroux of the San Jose Earthquakes — who scored two goals, including the game-winner in his side’s 4-2 win over Minnesota United — and Rafael Navarro of the Colorado Rapids — who assisted on both goals and scored in the penalty shootout victory over the Colorado Springs Switchbacks — finished in third in voting for Player of the Round.