Alonso Martinez scored on a pair of penalty kicks Saturday afternoon as host New York City Football Club clinched a playoff spot and tightened things up in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 victory over Charlotte FC.

New York (16-9-5, 53 points) improved to 7-1-1 in its past nine matches since a 2-0 loss at Charlotte on July 12. New York moved within two points of Cincinnati for second place and four in back of first-place Philadelphia after earning a win in its third match in eight days.

Charlotte (17-12-2, 53 points) was unable to surpass the 2018 Seattle Sounders for the longest winning streak in the post-shootout era since 2000. Charlotte also had a 10-game unbeaten streak stopped and took its first loss since June 28 as it attempted six shots and conceded 15 shot attempts.

Martinez

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